Mamono Hunter Ukyou
by Ed Simons
Summary: Ukyou discovers a family legacy, and she and her friends face off against the monsters known as Mamonos.
1. Aijou

Mamono Hunter Ukyou

Aijou: Mask of Sorrows

By Edward Simons

Based on characters and situations created by Takahashi Rumiko. Ranma 1/2 and characters copyright Shogakukan, Kitty Animation Circle, and Takahashi Rumiko. Devil Hunter Yohko and characters copyright NCS, Toho Company, LTD., and Mad House. This story modified 2004 by Edward Simons.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

_We wear the mask that grins and lies,_

_It hides our cheeks and shades our eyes-_

_Why should the world be over-wise,_

_In counting all our tears and sighs?_

_Nay, let them only see us, whileWe wear the mask._

Paul Laurence Dunbar "We Wear the Mask"

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Ranma Saotome sprinted towards Furinkan High School, pigtail fluttering behind him as he hurtled along a fencetop bordering the canal. He wasn't fleeing from any of his rivals or fiancées. He certainly felt no eagerness to attend school. Ranma was reveling in the joy of movement itself, in the joy of being alive.

Around him, the leaves had begun exchanging their summer greens for the multihued splendor of autumn. Brisk winds brought a spring to the step and a clarity to the mind. There was magic in the air, the magic of change.

Ranma didn't notice, but he didn't notice a lot of things. Forgotten, his fiancée Akane Tendo lagged behind him, trudging slowly toward school. This morning she had scarcely spoken. It was the anniversary of **that** day.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Ukyou Kuonji stood behind the counter of her small okonomiyaki restaurant. She leaned forward, placing her hands on the cold steel of the unlit grill and stared at the empty doorway, imagining a smiling pigtailed boy coming through that door. But dreams so seldom became reality.

"Good morning, Lady Ukyou."

The voice came from behind her, near the entryway to their living quarters, and Ukyou instantly recognized the source. Only her sole employee Konatsu, waitress and former ninja, could make a simple greeting sound elegant and refined. And as usual, Konatsu was the image of femininity from the delicately flowered hair ribbon accentuating long dark hair to the rich ruby lips to the perfectly manicured fingernails to the delicate pastel pattern of Konatsu's kimono.

Ukyou knew how unfeminine she looked in comparison. Ukyou's hair was long, too, but she could never make it shine the way Konatsu did. And her white hair ribbon was practical, just like the tunic and tights she wore while cooking or fighting. She'd never worn makeup, not just because she'd spent ten years pretending to be a boy, but because it was a luxury, an indulgence that she couldn't afford. Ukyou's hands were callused from years of martial arts practice and at school she wore a boy's uniform, a relic of a decade spent denying her true nature and seeking vengeance against someone who never meant to harm her.

_Do I wear it to remind me of what I almost became, or because I can't justify the cost of buying another school uniform? We never had much when I was a kid, even before Genma stole my dowry. I don't remember a time when the money wasn't tight._

"Lady Ukyou?"

"What is it, Konatsu?" She glanced back at the waitress and sighed.

"Lady Ukyou, this package came for you last night." It materialized in Konatsu's hands, the sudden appearance the only clue that Konatsu was a genius kunoichi, the best the Kenzan ninja clan had produced in generations. "I apologize, Lady Ukyou, I forgot to mention it at the time."

"Thanks," Ukyou sighed, stuffing the package into her school satchel, sparing only a glance to see it was from her grandmother Madoka, then looking up at the clock hanging near the doorway. "Great, I'm going to be late for school."

_My whole life's like that. I was too late to stop that idiot Genma from running off with Ranchan and my dowry when we were kids. When I found Ranchan ten years later, I was too late again. I've got the best claim, my dowry was already accepted, Ranchan and his father both acknowledged me as his fiancée. But somehow Akane's the favored one. Her family supports that engagement, so do Ranchan's folks, even though he and Akane don't get along very well. Maybe it doesn't matter. I can feel him slowly slipping away._

Ukyou sighed again.

_Maybe I could even accept losing Ranchan if I thought he'd be happy with her. But Akane won't trust him and she keeps blaming him for stuff that isn't his fault. Ranchan isn't perfect, but he's a lot better than she gives him credit for._

Ukyou glanced back at the clock, its hands continuing their silent relentless motion.

_That's what it's about, time. I can't call it back or change it and I never have enough. Akane gets to spend all day with him. I never get to be with Ranchan, I won't even have time to talk to him before class. Maybe fate is against me, something always interrupts, steals any chance I have to spend time with him._

Ukyou stared at the floor for a moment, trying to put the mask of cheerfulness back on her face, ignoring the moisture in her eyes.

"Lady Ukyou?"

"I'm fine, Konatsu," she lied. "I gotta run." She snatched up her school satchel and bolted out the door.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

A lone figure cautiously approached Furinkan High. His classmates occasionally mistook Gosunkugi for one of the walking dead. He was gaunt, creepy looking, and just plain weird. He pretended he didn't care what others said, but it becomes hard to lie to yourself all the time. His mouth twisted into a grimace.

Akane, the girl he loved, did treat him better than almost anyone else did. She merely ignored him. Gosunkugi understood he had no hope of competing physically with her fiancé Ranma or upperclassman Tatewaki Kuno, the kendo champion, or Ryouga Hibiki, the strange boy with the pathetically obvious crush on Akane who occasionally wandered onto the grounds of Furinkan High. Jellyfish showed more muscle definition than Gosunkugi. They had more martial arts skills, too. But he knew the way to make up for it.

_Magic works, I know it does. I've seen it. It can give me the strength I crave. It just never works right for me._

Actually, it never worked for him at all. That thought plunged Gosunkugi into new depths of depression. He would've felt more depressed if he had been able to sense the magic stirring in Nerima.

ooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Ranchan."

He never looked back.

"Ranchan!"

He didn't seem to hear her.

"Ranchan, please."

But he kept pulling further and further away from her.

"Please...please...don't leave...don't leave me."

That's how it had been ten years before when Genma stole her dowry and took Ranma away, leaving her alone and disgraced. Since then, Ukyou had practiced her martial arts with a focused dedication, but that wasn't all she practiced.

Now Ukyou saw a pigtailed figure in a red Chinese shirt speeding along the fencetop ahead of her, saw the same goal she had pursued for most of her life - dear, sweet, stupid, brave, impossible Ranma. The one she loved. She'd been left behind before because she was too slow and she vowed that would never happen again.

Ukyou had been running at a comfortable pace. Comfortable for her, that is. Most people would've been gasping for air, but she could maintain this speed almost indefinitely. Now Ukyou accelerated to a speed that would've been nearly impossible, not to mention wildly immodest if she wore a skirt. She shifted into a long loping stride that devoured the distance separating her from Ranma, dodging several of her classmates also walking to school, classmates who stared openmouthed as a female blur in a boy's school uniform rushed past them.

Akane was the exception, she didn't speak or even glance up as Ukyou blazed past, but continued trudging towards school like her shoes were full of cement. Deep in Ukyou's satchel, something pulsed with a pale reddish light. Ukyou hesitated, almost missing her stride, then found it again and continued running.

But there were too many people in the way. Ukyou leapt onto the fence and accelerated again. Her chest tightened from the bindings she habitually wore at school, another relic of her years pretending to be a boy. She gasped for breath, but Ukyou preferred that to the distracting bounce that would have occurred.

Something inside her called that Ranma might find that bounce distracting if she wasn't afraid of being a girl, but Ukyou tried to ignore that voice. Ranma had reached the end of the fence, jumped down and passed through the gates of the school. Ukyou leaped after him, but someone had blundered into her path. Her knee impacted against a skull, dropping the unintended victim to the pavement, and Ukyou spun through the air, crashing against the concrete wall that surrounded the school grounds.

ooooooooooooooooooooooo

Back at the Tendo home, Kasumi was alone doing chores again. Except for Akane's enthusiastic but inept attempts at cooking, Kasumi was usually alone when it was time to do chores. Yet there was a level where Kasumi was never truly by herself, when she sensed a presence watching over her, especially on this day.

"I'm sorry mother, I really don't know what to do. Akane still isn't dealing with it very well and Nabiki only pretends she is. They're both afraid to let anyone get too close, afraid to get hurt again. At least Akane still expresses things, even if it's often in the wrong way. But Nabiki wraps herself in an armor of indifference and pretends she doesn't care. I don't think I know how to reach her anymore."

Kasumi paused. "I don't think I'm dealing with it very well, either."

ooooooooooooooooooooooo

Gosunkugi staggered to his feet, groaned, raised his hand to his head, and nearly collapsed again. Ukyou remained on her hands and knees, but not from physical pain. Ranma had left her behind again and the idiot didn't realize it this time, either. For a few moments, she was that abandoned six-year-old again and she couldn't stop her tears.

"Umm...Ukyou...uhh...you okay?" Gosunkugi winced at how stupid that probably sounded. She didn't respond so he shut up and limped toward the nurse's office. The tears had stopped, but Ukyou still hadn't moved when Akane passed her moments later. Each was too wrapped in their own sorrow to notice the other. Ukyou finally took a deep shuddering breath, rose trembling to her feet, and shuffled towards the school gate.

ooooooooooooooooooooooo

Ranma paused and looked at the clock tower of Furinkan High. There was plenty of time before class and for once no one was challenging him to fight, but something seemed wrong. He scanned the scene again, noticing Tatewaki Kuno leaning against a tree, wearing an expression probably intended to represent intense concentration, though to Ranma it looked like the samurai wannabe was suffering from an intense toothache.

Why wasn't Kuno attacking? He still wore a traditional samurai outfit, but that was a bouquet, not a bokken clutched in Kuno's hands. Involuntarily, Ranma raised his hands to his chest, reassuring himself that his Jusenkyou curse hadn't triggered, that he was still male. In a soft whisper, he thanked the kami that he hadn't been splashed with cold water so far and reflexively glanced around for water sources. That meant Ranma missed Gosunkugi limping past, but Gosunkugi was easy to miss.

Then Akane entered the school grounds. Her eyes were downcast, her movements slow and mechanical. Even Ranma could tell something was wrong; Akane didn't normally act this way. Ranma's sense of self-preservation screamed he had better do something before he was blamed for whatever was bothering Akane, but his upbringing had major gaps in it and he had no idea what to do.

Tatewaki Kuno's upbringing had its own flaws, but he had some small grasp of social skills. He glimpsed Akane and a sad smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. Kuno moved to Akane's side before Ranma could react. No poetry sprang from Kuno's lips, just a few quiet words.

"Akane Tendo, I grieve with you in your time of loss. Full well I know that this is the anniversary of your mother's death, and having lost mine own as well, I hope that in some small way I understand your grief. I hope, nay, I pray that you would do me the honor of placing these at her gravestone." The boy produced a bouquet of not red, but white roses.

Ranma smiled, expecting Akane to hammer Kuno, but instead a glance passed between them, a memory of the shared loss of their mothers and of friendship nearly consumed by anger, obsession, and desire.

"Umm, thanks, Kuno. I'm sure she'll like them. This isn't some new way to try to get me to go on a date, is it?"

The pain in Kuno's eyes proved this offer was genuine. Akane mumbled an apology and accepted the flowers, then walked slowly towards her homeroom. Ranma stared in confusion, then looked back at Kuno.

"Surely you are an unthinking brute, Ranma Saotome, but have you truly forgotten this is the anniversary of the death of Akane's mother? Even her mercenary sister honors the day."

"It ain't like that, Kuno. I was there when the family visited her grave last year."

Ranma hadn't forgotten it; the visit to Mrs. Tendo's grave had begun the events that led to his finding and eventually reconciling with his own mother. He did forget when it happened. Ranma had never met Mrs. Tendo; her death would never be as important to him as it was to Akane.

He looked at Kuno again, but there was something in the older boy's eyes.

"I have no desire to fight you on this of all days, Ranma Saotome. Out of respect for the departed, let us delay our next battle until the morrow."

Ranma nodded in confusion and followed Akane.

ooooooooooooooooooooooo

Ukyou passed the gates of Furinkan High just in time to see Ranma disappear into the building. She was alone in the middle of the empty schoolyard, but she wouldn't have minded if one specific person was there to share that loneliness.

But there was only a lone white rose lying forgotten on the pavement. Ukyou walked toward it and knelt. "I only need one," she whispered. She stood; barely realizing she had dropped the pale flower into her school satchel.

"What?" She had felt something, sensed another vague impression of a pulse of reddish light, even though her satchel was closed. But there wasn't time to wonder. She didn't feel like running anymore, but Ukyou advanced towards her homeroom at a brisk walk, arriving just before the bell rang.

ooooooooooooooooooooooo

For once Ranma didn't nap in class, but that didn't mean he was paying attention to the teacher or the lesson. He risked a glance to his left. Akane's face was a mask, intended to hide her feelings, but sorrow radiated from the girl, a feeling so deep he could feel it, like the depression based attack of Ryouga's Shishi Hokoudan. Ranma wanted to help Akane, but he didn't know what to say. Even if he did, he couldn't say anything in the middle of the lesson without having to battle the teacher, Miss Hinako.

He risked a second glance to his right. Ukyou moved with a pained stiffness, slowly opening her satchel to pull out a textbook. As she did a small package and a cloud of ash slipped out as well. Ukyou coughed and pushed the package back into the satchel. Ranma looked more closely, seeing the knee and elbow of Ukyou's school uniform were torn out, failing to conceal bloody scrapes. There was dirt and now ash on Ukyou's face and clothes. Even Ranma could tell the girl had been crying and she appeared ready to begin again at any moment.

_Who coulda beat up Ucchan like that? She's pretty tough. What kind of jerk beats up on girls, anyway?_

Ranma vowed to make whoever it was jerk pay for hurting Ukyou, not because she was his friend, not because she was his fiancée, but because it was the right thing to do. He wanted to help Ukyou, he wanted to help both of his fiancées, but he couldn't do anything during class without Hinako trying to drain his chi. Ranma waited eagerly for lunch period, but for once food had very little to do with his anticipation.

ooooooooooooooooooooooo

Gosunkugi stared at the ceiling as he lay in bed at the nurse's office. His head and left knee ached, though it didn't hurt as much as the time he attacked Ranma with a suit of power armor and ended up trapped inside when it exploded. But maybe this injury was worse, even though it hurt less. It had to be worse, for he kept hearing a soft whispery voice.

"So...you are weak...helpless...and that is...pleasurable. Your weakness...gives me strength...even a null...a hollow one...can give me strength."

Sweat beaded on Gosunkugi's forehead, yet he felt cold, numb. "It's just my imagination. Or maybe it's my head injury." He glanced at the school nurse, who hadn't reacted at all.

"Yes, it's just my imagination."

Hollow mocking laughter answered. "She cannot hear me, boy. I am old, older than you could imagine, and I move unheard among you. I have waited, waited all these centuries, waited for the time of our return. Though the Ritual was not completed, many of us were still able to come to your world, and your race shall pay for the destruction of the Dark Queen."

"Who are you? What are you? Why?" he whispered hoarsely.

ooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Ranma, leave me alone." Akane's voice held a weariness even Ranma recognized.

"But Akane, we gotta talk. I gotta know what's wrong."

"Just go away. You couldn't possibly understand."

"But..."

"I said leave me alone, you jerk."

Ranma retreated, surprised Akane hadn't already hammered him. It was a bad idea to argue with one of the few people more stubborn than he was and for once Ranma realized that.

ooooooooooooooooooooooo

Ukyou noticed the little confrontation and winced. It hurt that Ranma talked to Akane first and it even hurt that Akane had pushed him away again. Ranma gave Akane more attention than he gave either of his other fiancées, but so often she didn't seem to value or even want that attention.

_You don't know what you've got, Akane. Ranchan was always there for me when we were kids and after he was gone I realized how much I missed that, how much I missed him, how much I trusted him, needed him, depended on him. But I took too long to find him, now he's always there for you and you better realize just how important that is._

_You don't know what I'd give for that, Akane. He's got his rough edges, who wouldn't with Genma as a dad, but why can't you see the real Ranchan? Sure Shampoo or Miss Hinako distract him sometimes, he is a teenage guy, but that's his hormones, not his heart. He's not a pervert, no matter what you say. Believe me, I know, I went to a guy's middle school._

_And Ranchan accepts people as they are. He even accepts me, even though I don't really know how to be a girl anymore. And he called me cute; he's the only guy who made me feel cute. I'm sure I blushed, I know I couldn't speak or even breathe, but in that moment I knew why it hurt so much when he left, knew my anger had only been a way to hide my real feelings from myself._

_They say you feel your heart hammering in your chest at times like that, but it felt like mine stopped for a moment. Ranchan doesn't flatter people. He says what he feels no matter how brutally honest that is. He couldn't have meant my appearance, that meant he still saw something inside me, something I tried to bury, the part of me that dared to care, that risked the pain of love._

_But you're afraid of that, aren't you, Akane? Afraid to tell him how you really feel, not that I'm much better. Somehow, in spite of everything, you seem to be winning something you don't seem to value at all. I had ten years to find him and now I'm too late, I'm coming in second in a race with only one winner._

Ukyou glanced at her unopened lunch box, but she had no appetite. She turned her head, staring out the window, then started when Ranma sat across from her.

"Umm, Ucchan are you okay? Who did this to you?"

_You did,_ Ukyou thought and then realized Ranma meant her somewhat battered appearance.

"Oh, um...Gosunkugi, I guess."

"What? That little twerp finally gets some magic power that works and then he does this?" Ranma jumped up. "That jerk ain't gonna get away with..."

"Ranchan," she interrupted, "It was just a stupid accident and this doesn't hurt near as much as..."

"As what, Ucchan?"

"As...don't worry about it, Ranchan. Like I said, it was an accident. I collided with Gosunkugi while running to school and I'm pretty sure he got the worst of it. Don't waste your time being angry at someone who didn't mean to hurt anyone. Don't do like...like I did...I..." Ukyou's voice trailed away.

Ranma dropped back into the chair. Ukyou seemed ready to cry again and he didn't know what to do. His dad had taught him how to fight and sometimes it seemed that was all he could do. But he remembered all the times Genma had said it was a martial artist's duty to help others and even if his father usually didn't live up to the words, Ranma tried.

"Okay, Ucchan, I promise not to do nothing stupid. I just want you to be happy."

She placed her hands over her eyes. Ranma felt something tingling at the back of his neck, knew that in moments the classroom would transform into a circle of anger, a mob of howling voices blaming him for making another girl cry. But Ukyou's hands dropped and she smiled at him even though there was moisture in the corner of her eyes.

"Tha...thanks, Ranchan. Tha...that means so much...so much to me. I...I want you to be happy, too and I hope...that is..."

But Ukyou couldn't seem to find the words she was searching for and the rest of the class was now watching them closely, except for Akane who was rather pointedly not watching them. The room had become deathly silent.

Of course Ranma opened his mouth and filled the silence.

"Um, Ucchan, you're looking kinda scuffed up. Let's go get you cleaned up and take you by the school nurse, just to make sure you're alright."

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Normally, Akane would have gone ballistic seeing Ranma sitting and talking with Ukyou. Her leaning on him as she limped out of the room would have called for a summoning from Hammerspace or punting him into the stratosphere or at least the well-placed application of a school desk to the idiot's skull. But this was the day her mother died and now Ranma was spending that day with someone else. It was the day people she...cared about...left her...left her alone.

_Who'd want a stupid tomboy like me anyway? Why shouldn't he run off with the cute fiancée? I've got a lousy temper and any time I try to do anything feminine, I screw it up. The only reason Ranma hangs around is out of some stupid sense of duty._

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Gosunkugi drew back as the door to the nurse's office slammed open. A moment of relief that it wasn't some soulless monster was followed by a moment of panic as he saw Ranma helping an injured Ukyou. Gosunkugi was more observant than Ranma. In other circumstances, he probably would have noticed the blush on Ukyou's cheeks or the way she looked at Ranma or the fact she didn't need to lean on her fiancé's shoulder. Instead, Gosunkugi shuddered and closed his eyes, expecting retribution for Ukyou's injuries, however slight they might be.

_Wait, Ranma isn't like that. He knows I'm a wimp. He wouldn't pound me like the guys who take my lunch money. I am a wimp. Akane deserves someone brave and strong like Ranma, not a weak, pathetic, jealous coward like me._

Gosunkugi sighed and stared at the ceiling. His head throbbed with pain, but he needed to think clearly. He was forgetting something important.

After the nurse finished cleaning and bandaging Ukyou's knee, Gosunkugi limped over. "Ranma, Ukyou, please, you have to listen to me. I think, no, I know something is seriously wrong. There's something here at the school and it's going to cause trouble."

"What is it this time?" Ranma asked. "Principal Kuno made up some stupid new rule? Or maybe brought in another teacher like Hinako?"

"No."

"Ryouga wandered by? Mousse found another cheap magic trick?"

"This isn't human, it's something worse, far worse. We may be...no, we are in danger."

"What makes you so sure?" Ranma sounded skeptical.

Deciding that talk of mysterious spectral voices would not aid his credibility, Gosunkugi replied, "I just know. Who else studies magic like I do?"

"Cologne," Ranma replied without missing a beat.

"Maybe Shampoo," Ukyou added.

"Probably Tofu," Ranma continued.

"Who's Tofu?" Ukyou asked.

But Ranma's stomach growled an interruption. Ukyou smiled and pulled a bento lunchbox out of her satchel. "Here you go, Ranchan. Sorry there's a little ash on the outside, I don't know where that came from."

Ranma attacked the food like a man who hadn't eaten in three days. Half the lunch disappeared before Ranma noticed Ukyou wasn't eating.

"It's okay, Ranchan. There wasn't time to make a spare lunch."

"But..."

"It's my fault there wasn't time, Ranchan. Just eat, it's nice to watch you eat my cooking. It's almost like..."

"Like what, Ucchan?"

She blushed and didn't answer as Ranma returned to wolfing down the lunch. Instead, Ukyou recalled the other thing she hadn't had time for and pulled the package out of her satchel.

"What's that, Ucchan?" Ranma mumbled around bites of okonomiyaki.

"Something from my grandma."

"Is it cookies? If your grandma is half as good a cook as you are..."

"It feels too heavy for that, Ranchan. No, it's just this one bit that's heavy." A minispatula appeared in Ukyou's hand and she sliced open the end of the package, then turned it over. A sheaf of computer paper slipped into Ukyou's hand along with something unusual, a strange object, sort of a cross between a bracelet and a ring. After some fumbling, Ukyou put it on her left hand. The ring part fit on her middle finger and a chain ran from it to a loop that circled her wrist. On the back of the ring was the stylized head of some strange four-horned creature. Other than the horns, it vaguely resembled a serpent's head. Twin red stones served for eyes and a green gem was embedded in the creature's forehead.

Gosunkugi, who the others had nearly forgotten about, gasped. "That's a Yoma ring."

"A what?" the others asked.

"A Yoma ring. I didn't think they really existed. They say only some clan of Mamono Hunters can use the ring."

"Mamono Hunters?" Ranma asked.

"Mamonos. Demons. Devils," Gosunkugi explained. "Soulless monsters from the Netherworld. Ageless beings that thrive on death and pain. Soulless monsters..."

"You said that already," Ranma replied. "Besides, I know what Mamonos are; fighting monsters is a martial artist's duty. I'm just surprised there's enough of them that there's a whole clan actually hunting the things. What's next? Sorcerer Hunters?"

"I'm not surprised you haven't heard of the Mamono Hunters. I've barely heard of them and they're supposed to have been around for hundreds, maybe thousands of years."

"So what's the Yoma ring do?" Ukyou asked.

"I'm not really sure," the skinny boy replied. "Who sent you the ring?"

"My grandma Madoka, Madoka Mano. I already said that, didn't I?"

"Did she send anything explaining it?"

Ukyou groaned at her foolishness and grabbed the accompanying letter, skimming several pages of still connected computer printouts. "Stupid dot matrix. Let's see...Mamono Hunters...mother...curse...banishing...healing... Here it is, ritual of activation. Ritual of activating what?"

"Ucchan, aren't you taking this stuff kinda seriously? I mean, c'mon, you really think Gosunkugi knows what he's doing? This is just too weird."

Before anyone could mention Ranma's curse, the lights flickered.

"See?" Gosunkugi insisted.

"So what?"

The lights flicked again, then went out and the school sprinkler system activated. Ranma squawked as the water washed away his true form, activating the Jusenkyou curse that transformed him into a girl. Ukyou shoved the letter inside her satchel to keep it from being damaged. Something told her Gosunkugi was right about all this. She hoped she remembered the incantation; it was too dark to read it now, even if the sprinklers weren't still going.

"I hold no enmity against those coerced into evil."

_Whatever that means._

"But to those vile beings who toy with the hearts and souls of men..."

_That sounds like Shampoo's line of 'Men what play with woman's hearts go very bad place.'_

"...We, since the time of Ancient Gods, have been your destroyers."

_Grandma definitely owes me an explanation on this one._

The dark-haired girl paused for breath. "Now, the 108th generation Mamono Hunter, Ukyou, is here! Beware!"

Ukyou felt a chill and a spinning sensation and then a warm energy surrounded her. She sensed a current of magic around her, encasing and protecting her, flowing from the ring. She felt Ranma's curse, a product of the Pools of Sorrow. She sensed an emptiness in Gosunkugi, a strange nothingness she couldn't explain. And she sensed a power, a dark malignance, somewhere nearby. Ukyou shivered and it was not from cold.

"Ranchan?"

But he was gone.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

In the hallway, the sprinklers stopped. Ranma's eyes were still adjusting to the darkness when the lights flickered on again. He squinted and an iron fist slammed into his side. His attacker struck harder than his rival Ryouga ever had, harder than Lime of the Musk Dynasty, harder even than the man-monster, Tarou.

For once, turning into a girl had helped Ranma; his smaller size meant the blow only grazed him. But even that glancing blow launched Ranma through the air, shattering the wall in a spray of wood and plaster. Ranma landed heavily, feeling a desk top crack beneath him. He blinked twice and willed himself to stay conscious. Dimly, he realized this was Akane's desk. The Tendo girl stared blankfaced and silent, though her eyes brimmed with a deep inexpressible sorrow. In a reflexive motion her arms pulled back, then swung down at Ranma with...nothing. Her hammer didn't materialize.

"Miss Tendo, I will not have you behaving in such a manner." Hinako Ninomiya might look like a child, but she was quite serious about discipline in her classroom and she had the power to enforce it. "Perhaps you've spent too much time with that delinquent Mr. Saotome."

Students used to Miss Hinako's methods of discipline dove for cover while Ranma rolled painfully under the desk. His ribs complained bitterly, but he couldn't let Hinako drain his chi; he had a monster to defeat. He glanced up and saw Akane sitting motionless at her desk; her arms still held in front of her as if holding an imaginary mallet.

"Akane, you dummy, get down before..."

"Happo Five Yen Satsu," the teacher yelled and brandished a small coin as a focus to her powers. Chi energy, the energy of life, flowed through that focus, drawn from Akane to Hinako. Akane's eyes fluttered shut and she slumped backward in her seat, then collapsed face forward on to her desk. Normally, the absorbed energy transformed Hinako into a tall and rather well endowed adult, but this time she remained a child. Instead, she gasped in pain, clutched the arm holding the five yen coin with her other hand, and fell to her knees. Hinako uttered an almost voiceless scream and collapsed to the floor, the coin still clutched in her hand.

Ranma groaned and sat up. Pain blazed in his side, his ribs were at least cracked, possibly broken. His vision grayed, but he forced his eyelids open as the thing that had struck him began smashing through the remains of the wall. Over seven feet tall, it resembled a slate gray and somehow mobile suit of samurai armor. It had to be metal yet there was no sheen, no glimmer, no reflection of the light, just dull blank grayness. The only parts not gray were black - the kanji for Aijou, which meant sorrow, imprinted on its breastplate and the dark empty pits in its mask where eyes should have been.

Ranma made the mistake of looking into those eyes.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Ukyou sprinted towards the noise of battle. A glance through the ruined wall showed most of the students had escaped, though a handful still cowered in the corner. Akane lay slumped over her desk; Miss Hinako lay sprawled in the front of the room; and Ranma, damp and female, faced a huge armored creature alone. Ukyou felt a pulse of energy from her Yoma ring and somehow she knew this thing was a Mamono.

"Ranchan!" He stood there, making no attempt to defend himself from the creature. Ukyou rushed into the room and grabbed his arm. Slowly, Ranma turned towards her, and Ukyou stepped back. There was a sorrow in Ranma's eyes, a sorrow deeper than when his strength was stolen by Happosai.

"Ranchan, what's wrong," Ukyou whispered. She reached forward, wanting to hold him, wanting to wipe away his pain. Behind her, the Mamono raised a fist the size of Ukyou's head. She sensed rather than saw it and interposed her battle spatula.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Aijou's power had grown throughout the day as it fed on the anguish and despair of the humans, claiming one after another as its puppet. Now all the serious opponents except the so-called Mamono Hunter were under the creature's control. It didn't need to control her. It felt the grief in her soul. The girl had spent years in sorrow and it would be easy to lead her back down that well traveled path.

Aijou swung its metal fists, driving the girl backwards. She barely blocked the Mamono's blows with her huge spatula. Metal rang against what should have been metal, but only a hollow thud came from the creature.

"Ranchan!" He didn't move and the creature almost hit the distracted girl.

Ukyou tried to shift to the attack, but Aijou was surprisingly fast and every bone-jarring blow drove Ukyou backwards. The monster wasn't tiring, either. It continued forcing her back until she tripped over the rubble and fell sprawling. Her battle spatula clanged to the floor, tantalizingly out of reach.

This would be easier than Aijou expected. It hadn't even needed its puppets to defeat the Hunter. The creature raised a fist for the final blow.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Ranma usually acted before thinking, seldom mused about events or consequences. But this time he had no choice. Ever since he looked into that thing's eyes, or more precisely where it should have had eyes, it was forced on him. Images flashed through his mind, images formerly hidden by chance or time or pride, images driven into his soul with a supernatural force.

Echoes of a crying woman filled an empty house. Something fell from the weeping woman's hands, paper promises that separated her from the ones she loved. Ranma's mother Nodoka didn't know when or even if her husband and only child would return.

Stars shone brightly on an empty road. An exhausted six-year-old tomboy knelt by its side, empty hands stretched forward. She hadn't moved for hours. Pale moonlight caressed a tear-streaked face. The child had cried until she was sure no more tears remained. A faint whisper escaped the girl's lips, "Ranchan". Small hands rose to cover Ukyou's eyes, vainly trying to stop a new flood of tears.

A teenaged boy wearing a bandana hurtled downwards, trying to grasp a rocky wall that was agonizingly out of reach. The red-haired girl and the panda raced along a cliffside, heedless of what they had done. Ryouga howled in helpless rage as he plunged towards the Jusenkyou pool that would wash away his humanity.

A nine-year-old girl smiled as she prepared dinner for her father and sisters, but the smile never really reached her eyes. Years blurred by in instants as the girl grew towards adulthood. Kasumi cooked and cleaned and washed and mended. Only the smile remained constant on the face of the ignored and unappreciated girl. In spite of a decade where people seldom helped or even thanked her, the girl that smiled but seldom laughed continued with her chores, trying to bury the loss of her mother by becoming the one she lost.

Shadows concealed the proud warrior, masking the weakness she would never admit. Japan could be a strange frightening place to a foreigner. "Stupid Airen," she whispered as a single tear meandered down her cheek, "Shampoo no can go home without you. Shampoo no have curse if you come home with her first time. Stupid, stupid, Airen."

Window glass reflected the form of a tall dark-haired girl in a surprisingly feminine nightgown. Her breath fogged the window as she stared across the darkened city. Behind her, the faint glow of the clock read 2:57 AM. Sleep starved eyes refused to close as a greater yearning kept them gazing blankly into the darkness, trying to will away the distance that separated Ukyou from the boy she loved.

A shorthaired girl in yellow pajamas knelt sobbing on her bed, clutching a small black pig squashed so tightly against her chest it could barely breathe. The pet seemed more concerned about her tears than its own discomfort. "That jerk," Akane whispered hoarsely, "Why can't he ever be nice to me? All he does is make fun of me."

A gray metallic monster loomed above a slender dark-haired girl wearing a form hugging crimson Chinese style dress, who lay prone among the shattered rubble of the classroom wall. Several feet away, a dented combat spatula lay near the wreckage of a couple school desks. There was a stillness, a deep silence unlike the previous scenes; yet Ranma could feel his blood pounding in his veins and the throbbing pain in his side.

Ukyou stretched out a hand, reaching not for her damaged weapon, but for him, trying to reach across the gap of fate and time and distance, longing to touch him a final time. Her voice came faintly as if from the bottom of a well. "Ranchan, please."

_What's going on? Why is Ucchan wearing a Chinese dress?_

And Ranma began struggling free of the creature's influence. He couldn't change the past, couldn't undo mistakes that hurt others, couldn't even make most of them right, but Ranma refused to let this thing kill his closest friend. Ranma's movements lacked their normal fluid grace, but he was moving. He hoped, no, he knew he would be fast enough. He had to be.

Ranma's hands became a blur as he used the speed training of the Kachu Tenshin Amaguriken, the Chestnut Fist Technique, to score a few dozen strikes against the monster's back in a split second. Aijou's armor sounded hollow and even that sound was muffled. The creature slowly turned. It was obviously unharmed.

Ranma, on the other hand, thought he felt something crack inside his left wrist and realized he'd wear his hands down to bloody stumps long before he'd ever damage the thing. But Ranma had faced ghosts and oni and magic and madmen and so-called gods and he would die before he admitted defeat or let them harm someone he cared about.

"You. Leave. Ucchan. Alone."

Ranma brought his wrists together, pointed his arms towards the creature and called "Moko Takabisha!" But instead of the intended two-meter wide burst of chi energy, a pale glowing puff only half a meter across drifted towards the Mamono.

It barely touched the creature, yet metal blistered and bubbled, boiling away from the point of contact. The Mamono gave a high pitched shriek and collapsed with a hollow thud.

A glance showed Akane appeared unharmed, if still unconscious. Ukyou was on her feet again and looked, well, umm... A crimson Chinese dress clung tightly to her chest, the stylized yin yang symbol accentuating, not hiding the obviously feminine curves. A knee length skirt trimmed in gold was slit high up the side, revealing most of Ukyou's well-muscled legs and more than a bit of thigh. Ranma realized he was staring, blushed furiously and began studying the ceiling tiles. He waited for the battle spatula to connect with his skull. Instead, he heard a soft voice.

"Umm, thanks Ranchan. I think you killed that thing."

"He hasn't," whispered Gosunkugi who materialized from somewhere now that the fight appeared over, "And there's someone inside that armor."

"Yeah, right," Ranma snorted. "It's way too small to be that jerk Tarou's cursed form even if he'd wanna chop off his wings, horns, and tail to cram in there. And that Dojo Destroyer guy was way too pudgy. Nobody else is near big enough."

"Ranchan," Ukyou sighed in exasperation, "Gosunkugi knows more about this kind of stuff than we do."

"And where was he during the fight? Probably just hiding till it was over."

"Wouldn't you hide if you were a scrawny weakling without a single shred of athletic ability or combat skill?"

Gosunkugi winced and prayed Ukyou would quit defending him so hard.

"So who ya think is in there, Ucchan? It's gotta be Kuno. He's into all that samurai stuff."

A bokken impacted into the back of Ranma's skull, rather emphatically proving him wrong. Ukyou called Ranma's name as his eyes rolled back in his head and he slumped bonelessly to the floor. Gosunkugi cowered behind a desk with the skill gained from years of practice. Ukyou changed the grip on her battle spatula, going for a defensive stance.

_Kami-sama, please let Ranchan be okay._

Kuno circled to her left, his eyes masked by the same inexpressible sadness Ukyou had seen in Ranma's gaze earlier. Akane stood in front of Ukyou, her expression a mirror of Kuno's. Both were obviously under the control of the armored thing regaining its feet to Ukyou's right. Logic said she had no chance of winning, but the girl maintained her protective stance over Ranma's prone body. She sensed this strange armored creature intended to kill them.

"Sorry, Ranchan. I wanted to spend the rest of my life with you; I just thought we'd have a little longer. I wish you were still in guy form. I wish a lot of things."

They attacked in unison. The battle spatula became a metallic blur as Ukyou struggled to block attacks from three directions. Kuno had reach and the Mamono had inhuman strength, but even Akane was dangerous. Ukyou parried most of the blows and rolled with the ones she couldn't block, but slowly, surely, they were beating her to death. Finally, the Mamono's fist smashed the weapon from her hands.

Ukyou still had her throwing spatulas. They'd be useless against the Mamono, but she could hurt or maybe even kill Akane or Kuno. She hesitated, unwilling to take that step. Ukyou glanced down at Ranma and a grim look crossed her face. Mini spatulas appeared between her fingers. Tears flowed down Ukyou's cheeks.

And the wall detonated.

"Excuse me, does anybody know where the Tendo dojo is?"

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Ukyou had carried her battle spatula for most of her life. Even when she wasn't wearing or wielding it, it was almost always within reach. Now it lay forgotten on the classroom floor, ringed by abandoned mini spatulas.

Ukyou fled as if her life depended on it, but it wasn't her life she was worried about. She carried an unconscious Ranma across her shoulders. Every step brought pain, but she never slowed her pace. She would to win this race. She would save Ranma.

She didn't realize she wasn't being pursued.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Akane, what are you doing in Osaka?"

Ryouga Hibiki was used to being confused but this was worse than normal. Akane was acting strange. Kuno was acting strange. Miss Hinako was unconscious. A girl wearing a Chinese dress, who he assumed was Shampoo, had run off carrying Ranma. Okay, that was normal. Oh yes, and a nine-foot-tall suit of Samurai armor was advancing towards him. So that's what Shampoo had been yelling about before she disappeared. Things like this only happened in Nerima. Slowly the truth dawned.

"This isn't Osaka, is it?"

Normally Ryouga's words would have brought a group facefault among the hearers, but everybody was possessed, unconscious, or an inhuman monster. Well, except for Gosunkugi who was terrified. But there is a limit even to terror, a point past which one either shatters or finds new strength.

"Ryouga, you moron, that thing is controlling them. You have to save Akane from the Mamono."

Ryouga didn't know what a Mamono was, but the thought of Akane being in danger made him very, very depressed. Since he used depression to fuel his chi attack, that also made him very, very dangerous. Ryouga summoned a Shishi Hokoudan, a ball of negative chi, but he didn't release it. The Mamono had grabbed an unresisting Akane, holding her as a living shield.

Kuno moved to intercept Ryouga, who released the Shishi Hokoudan. Kuno grunted as the energy impacted, slamming him back against the wall and dropping him to his knees. Silently, Kuno stood and advanced again. His bokken swung towards Ryouga's head, who caught it one handed. As the kendoist struggled to free his weapon Ryouga stared into eyes that mirrored the pain and sorrow Ryouga felt. He couldn't believe he was feeling sympathy for the older boy, but nothing would to stop Ryouga from protecting Akane and soon Kuno lay unconscious amid a circle of broken desks. Ryouga glanced around but the creature was gone, taking Akane with it.

"I don't know how, Ranma, but this has to be all your fault!"

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Ranma sneezed. He might be wet, but at least this time it was warm water.

"Ucchan, what are we doing here?"

"I need more weapons."

Only Ukyou would instinctively look for them in a kitchen. Japanese schools usually didn't have separate lunchrooms. Students ate in class or on the school grounds if the weather was nice. At Furinkan High, they even let students get lunch delivered from nearby restaurants. Ranma had a perfect memory when it came to food so he knew they were at a restaurant right across the street from the school.

"Why ya wearing a Chinese dress, Ucchan?"

"I don't know. I think it has something to do with the Yoma ring."

"We gotta go help the others."

"Not till we have a plan, Ranchan."

"So we're gonna use the Saotome Ultimate Technique."

"What?"

"Run, think, attack. Run away instead of losing, come up with a plan, then come back and beat your opponent."

"That's an Ultimate Technique?"

"Hey, Ucchan, it works."

She looked at him skeptically.

"Don't worry, Ucchan. Trust me on this."

"Okay."

Ranma paused. He had asked a fiancée to trust him and she instantly said she would. No arguments, no questioning, no doubting, just simple trust. It felt strange. Strange, but good. He smiled and Ukyou smiled back, but Ranma was worried.

_Ucchan expects me to solve this mess and I've got no idea what to do. This thing ain't playing around; this is for keeps like when we fought those Musk guys._

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Akane." She didn't respond.

"Akane, where are you?" Despair tinged Ryouga's voice.

"Akane!" The sound seemed to echo down the cold empty halls of Furinkan High.

Ryouga finally noticed someone tapping gently on his shoulder.

"Who are you?" he asked the scrawny boy.

Gosunkugi winced, reflexively afraid of anyone as strong as Ryouga. He had hammered the Lost Boy repeatedly with a broken piece of a desk and Ryouga barely noticed.

"Go...Gosunkugi," he squeaked, "They...they didn't go this way. I...I can help you find Akane."

Ryouga grabbed Gosunkugi's shoulder and bellowed for him to hurry. The smaller boy nearly collapsed into a babbling heap, but did as Ryouga demanded.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

"That's a nice pair you've got there, Ucchan."

"Um, thanks, Ranchan, but don't you think..."

"Aren't they a little big though?"

"What?"

"Well, don't they kinda make it hard to fight the way you're used to?"

"Well, they are pretty badly balanced for throwing." Ukyou twirled a spatula in each hand. Each was about as long as her forearm, far larger than her throwing versions, but notably smaller than her battle spatula.

Ranma stated the obvious, "Paired weapons technique," and Ukyou nodded reply.

"Like some people use sais or tonfas," the girl added.

Ranma was already rooting through a silverware drawer.

"What are you looking for, Ranchan?"

"Spoons."

"Spoons?"

"Martial Arts Tea Ceremony."

"Martial Arts Tea Ceremony?"

"Yeah, never thought I'd need to use it again, Ucchan. Too bad this place doesn't have a teapot."

"Martial Arts Tea Ceremony?"

"Maybe I can find a ladle."

"Martial Arts Tea Ceremony?"

"Hey, it's not any stranger than Okonomiyaki Style Martial Arts."

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

The wall shattered. As the dust and debris cleared a pair of figures entered the gymnasium.

Ryouga spun and glared at the shorter boy. "I thought you said the monster took Akane this way!"

"Yes, couldn't you hear the Mamono?" Gosunkugi replied nervously. "Wait, that must be..." The creature had been remarkably quiet, especially considering its size. "Yes, that must be its magic, that's why you couldn't hear it."

"What?"

Gosunkugi hardly noticed Ryouga's question. "It called me a null, a hollow one. I've read about them, people who magic doesn't affect. That's why I could hear the Mamono and you couldn't."

The skinny boy glanced towards the gaping hole in the gym wall. By combining his sense of direction with Ryouga's ability to fragment brick and concrete, they had pursued the Mamono through the school, though the large number of impromptu doorways were probably not good for the structural integrity of the buildings.

"So where is it now?" the Lost Boy shouted. "That coward Ranma abandoned Akane and ran off with Shampoo. How can I save Akane if I can't even find her?" Color drained from Ryouga's face and energy began building around the boy.

And then a spoon bounced off the back of Ryouga's skull and clattered to the floor.

Ryouga yelled in surprise, not pain, and spun towards his attacker. Ranma stood framed in the shattered hole in the wall. A dark-haired girl clad in a revealing crimson dress stood next to him. Ryouga blinked in surprise, blushed, and looked away.

"Ranchan is not a coward, you stupid jerk!" Ukyou glowered at the Lost Boy. "And I am not Shampoo!"

"Maybe next time I should just yell 'Ryouga prepare to die' and kick him in the head," Ranma added.

"Ranma, how dare you steal my lines," Ryouga bellowed.

"So where's this stupid Mamono anyway? I gotta kick its big tin butt." But the cockiness of Ranma's words didn't match the expression in his eyes. "Jeez, ya think with all the noise you were making you'd have actually been fighting the thing, Pork Butt."

"Ranma, this is all your fault! Where were you when Akane was kidnapped? She's your fiancée, you're supposed to protect her."

"Aw, shut up, Pig Boy. You're starting to sound like her dad. Hey, what do you mean Akane's been kidnapped? Again?"

Ukyou cut the bickering short by smacking Ryouga on both sides of the skull with her new hand spatulas. "This is not Ranchan's fault, you jerk!"

"Hey, what did you do that for?" the Lost Boy muttered.

"Just shut up so I can concentrate, you idiot!" Ukyou raised her left hand, middle finger extended, in front of Ryouga's face, holding the Yoma ring inches from his eyes. "I think I can use this thing to sense where the monster is, not that I exactly know what I'm doing here."

"It's called Aijou, sorrow," Ranma whispered and for a moment that emotion was mirrored in his expression, before he masked it with another look of confidence.

Ukyou nodded, then closed her eyes and furrowed her brow. Seconds crawled by before she opened her eyes again. "It's under there." Ukyou pointed to the stage area at the end of the gym. "At least, I think..."

Ryouga screamed, "Akane, I'm coming," and raced across the gym, smashing through the wooden side of the stage. Almost immediately, the others heard crashing noises and battle cries coming from inside. Ranma glared at Gosunkugi, remembering the pit of cats from the last time they were beneath the stage, then followed Ryouga.

"Ranchan, wait for me."

Gosunkugi stood alone and unprotected in the middle of the gymnasium, wondering what to do as the sounds of the unseen conflict intensified.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Ryouga, get down."

He ducked as a hail of spoons whistled past, thudding against the Mamono, then clattering to the floor. The creature didn't react in the slightest.

"Ranma, you idiot, you could have hit Akane!"

"I was aiming for the weak spot."

"Weak spot?"

"Where I tagged it with my Moko Takabisha, Pig Boy. Seems like that's the only thing that hurts it. Now get our of the way so I can get a clear shot.

"I'll do better than that." Ryouga grasped his umbrella with both hands, swinging it like a gigantic bat.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Gosunkugi knew he was useless in a fight, but he couldn't just abandon Akane. While he hesitated, the side of the stage almost detonated outward in a spray of shattering wood and something huge and gray arced through the air.

"Ryouga, you moron!"

"Waaah, Akane, I'm sorry!"

The Mamono's gray shell soared over Gosunkugi's head, landing heavily. The skinny boy held a hand over his eyes as shattered fragments of flooring stuck him, knocking him prone.

"Akane," he stammered, unmindful of his own injuries. He couldn't see her and for a moment Gosunkugi feared she was a bloody pulp beneath the monster. Aijou had been holding Akane when Ryouga gave it the involuntary flight lesson, but she had slipped from its grasp. Fortunately, Gosunkugi protected her from the fall with his own body. While this was not intentional, it was extremely if briefly painful.

Gosunkugi lay unconscious, Akane unmoving. The Mamono stood with a speed surprising for its size and advanced towards them, but found the way blocked by Ryouga and Ranma. Globes of chi power glowed in their hands. The Mamono stood in the open now, unable to dodge both the chi blasts being hurled at it.

"Moko Takabisha!"

"Shishi Hokoudan!"

Perhaps it was luck or perhaps Aijou sensed the nature of the energies. The Mamono pivoted out of the way of Ranma's chi blast and took Ryouga's squarely in the chest. This time there was no scream. Energy flashed across the creature's surface and the light faded away revealing something. The previous damage was gone, wiped away like it never existed, and the creature had grown at least a meter in height.

Its name was Aijou. It fed on sorrow and depression and Ryouga's attack, the Shishi Hokoudan, was fueled by those emotions. Failure to harm the monster made Ryouga even more depressed and he made the mistake of looking into the black pits where Aijou should have had eyes. The effect seemed to occur in slow motion, but it finished in moments. Pieces of the giant Samurai armor separated from each other, spiraled lazily through the air, and reformed around Ryouga. The creature now towered above the others, its head nearly brushing the gymnasium ceiling.

The previous host body struck the floor with a sickening thud and lay awkwardly, like an abandoned doll. Nabiki was unconscious, severely burned in the place where Ranma's chi blast had damaged the Mamono. Aijou had wrung her dry like a sodden rag twisted till it was nearly formless, then discarded her.

She wouldn't have lasted much longer anyway, but Aijou's new host was something unexpected. The Mamono had never tasted such delicious depression. Nothing it had experienced previously matched the flavor and intensity of this host. It was almost intoxicating. As it reveled in the feelings, Aijou let the control of its puppets lapse. Kuno still lay unconscious and forgotten in the classroom. Akane sat up, saw her sister Nabiki's crumpled form, and screamed.

Aijou was incapable of smiling, but it was intensely satisfied. It was in control. It could afford to play with its prey again.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Ranma gulped, wanting to vomit. The smell of burnt flesh is nauseous at best, but he knew Nabiki, felt he was responsible for her injuries. Not even she deserved that. Akane stopped screaming and moved to Nabiki's side, cradling her sister's burned and battered body and calling her name. Distracted, Ranma didn't see the massive fist swing towards him.

"Ranchan!" Ukyou tackled him from the side, knocking him out of the way of the monster's blow. She was not so fortunate, the monster's blow caught her trailing leg and something snapped audibly. Ukyou spun through the air, then slammed to the floor.

"What didya do that for?" Pain blazed across Ranma's side, his damaged ribs reminding him of the injury the creature had inflicted on him earlier. Ranma barely made it to his feet. Ukyou lay still, but he heard her sob with pain.

That thing is a lot stronger than when it tagged me and Ucchan ain't as tough as I am and if I hadn't hesitated...

He didn't remember moving to Ukyou's side.

"What didya do that for, Ucchan," he repeated, but his voice was almost gentle. "You coulda got killed."

"Ranchan!" There was a pained hiss as she took a breath, then released it in a whisper stronger than any shout. "I love you, you idiot."

Ranma's eyes grew wide, his mouth moved, but no words came. Aijou could have smashed them flatter than okonomiyaki, but the creature had tasted pain at their hands and it wanted to toy with them, needed to revel in their sorrow before it ended their lives. And it sensed which human's death would cause the greatest sorrow to its new host. A gigantic hand began to move as the creature savored Ryouga's pain. Slow and inevitable as time it descended towards the girl. Unless she abandoned her sister, Akane would die, and not even Ranma was close enough to save her.

Akane closed her eyes and shielded Nabiki with her body, but the monster's metallic arm stopped inches above her head. A ghostly voice echoed across the gymnasium. Though it came from the Mamono, the voice was Ryouga's. His speech was slow, hesitating, and it was clear the monster made him pay for every word and the price he paid was pain.

"Ranma, stop this," he gasped. "Use...Moko...Taka..."

"Ryouga, you're nuts. You saw what happened to Nabiki."

"Yes. I'll die...before I...hurt Akane."

"No, Ryouga, no." There were tears in her eyes and she shook her head in unneeded emphasis. "Why?"

Fear had always held Ryouga back. Fear of rejection, but now Ryouga feared something more. If Ukyou could find the courage to say it to Ranma...

"I...love...you...Akane."

"You love me?" she echoed softly. "But, Ryouga, I thought..."

"Do it, Ranma," Ryouga hissed in agony, "Now...not strong enough."

"No." Ukyou spoke quietly, but clearly. "We can save him." She lurched to her feet, wincing as she put weight on her damaged ankle. Color drained from her face and she nearly fell, but she remained standing.

The girl began chanting. "We, since the time of Ancient Gods, have been your destroyers. Now, the 108th generation Devil Hunter, Ukyou, is here. Blade of my soul appear!" In a shimmering crimson light, a near-duplicate of her battle spatula materialized in Ukyou's hands, though it was darker, near bronze in coloration and somehow it felt of age and power.

"Akane, grab your sister and Gosunkugi and get out of here," Ukyou called.

"I won't leave you and Ranma to fight this thing alone."

"You have to, Akane, you're the only one still strong enough to carry them both and you have to get Nabiki to a doctor. Ranchan and I will be okay, I promise."

Ranma watched in astonishment as Akane obeyed Ukyou. Akane never listened when **he** tried to keep her out of combat.

"Ucchan, you oughta get outta here, too."

"This is gonna need both of us, Ranchan. I separate Ryouga from the Mamono, then you blast it."

For one awful moment he thought Ukyou planned to get the monster to possess her. Instead, she soared into the air in a leap that would've been breathtaking even if she hadn't done it with only one leg working properly. She balanced on the creature's arm and swung the battle spatula at its wrist. Ukyou's normal weapon would have bounced off harmlessly, but this was a soulblade. She severed the gigantic arm halfway between wrist and elbow and it slammed to the floor with a hollow thud.

Ranma lashed out with a bolt of chi energy and the monster's severed limb disintegrated. He felt more than heard the creature screaming as Ukyou flipped through the air and deprived it of most of its remaining arm. While he destroyed that, she dropped to the floor and severed the creature's ankle.

Anger, adrenaline, and magic heightened Ukyou's natural strength and balance, but they didn't make her immune to pain. Her injured foot touched the floor and she collapsed, unable to avoid the monstrosity toppling towards her. Ranma dove forward, ignoring his own injuries.

The floor shattered as the huge Mamono slammed into it, but no one lay pinned beneath. Ranma held Ukyou behind the shelter of one of the larger broken hunks of flooring. Flying debris clattered off it and he felt her lean against him.

_She's warm._ To Ranma warm was a very good thing. His thoughts might have continued down that path, but the creature was still moving.

"Moko Takabisha!" The monster's severed foot was gone.

Ranma rolled to his feet, wrapped an arm around Ukyou's waist, and lifted her up. Together they hobbled toward the Mamono. One swing of the soulblade decapitated the monster. Ukyou dropped to her knees as Ranma aimed another chi blast. The creature's screaming ceased as Ranma obliterated its head. Ukyou split the ruined torso with her soulblade and Ranma pulled Ryouga free of the remains. The boy was still breathing and his body showed no sign of burns.

"Moko Takabisha" echoed a final time and only humans remained in the gymnasium. Ranma and Ukyou collapsed as the adrenaline wore off. Chi energy was life energy and Ranma had thrown it around freely. As he lay exhausted on the floor, he looked over at Ukyou who lay inches away.

"I was so scared, Ranchan."

"What? This wasn't near as bad as... Hey, don't cry, Ucchan. It's okay. We got that thing, just like you said." He stretched a hand towards Ukyou and she grabbed it with both of hers.

_She's even cuter when she smiles._


	2. Haradachi Part 1

Mamono Hunter Ukyou Chapter 2

Haradachi: Cauldron of Anger

By Edward A. Simons

Based on characters and situations created by Takahashi Rumiko. Ranma 1/2 and characters copyright Shogakukan, Kitty Animation Circle, and Takahashi Rumiko. Devil Hunter Yohko and characters copyright NCS, Toho Company, LTD., and Mad House. This story revised 2004 by Edward Simons.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Come not within the measure of my wrath."

Two Gentlemen of Verona

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Doctor Tofu Ono paused and rechecked the name plaque outside the hospital room. Something about this patient made him easy to ignore, easy to forget.

Tofu rapped on the door, then entered.

"Gosunkugi? Hikaru Gosunkugi?"

The patient didn't respond, staring sullenly at nothing in particular. Tofu hadn't met the skinny boy until a few days ago when Akane burst through the door of his clinic carrying her sister and Gosunkugi.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

After an ambulance had rushed her sister Nabiki off to the hospital, Akane stared after it, unwilling to follow, yet uncertain what to do.

"How did this happen, Akane?" Tofu asked in a calm, soothing tone.

"I...he...there was this monster..."

"And where was the monster, Akane?"

"The school." Her expression hardened. "We have to help them." Her explanation was as rushed as the trip back to Furinkan High.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Tofu surveyed the shattered opening in the wall of the gymnasium. "I thought you said the monster was almost as tall as the ceiling, but this hole is only a few meters across."

Akane ignored him and stepped up to the impromptu entrance before pausing there. The wooden floor was shattered and splintered worse than she recalled and there was a gaping hole in the side of the stage. The Mamono seemed to have disappeared and there was no sign of her friends.

"Ranma! Ryouga! Ukyou!" Akane's voice echoed strangely and only silence answered. She placed one hand against the side of the hole and bowed her head. "I knew I shouldn't have left them."

"I'm sure they're still here, Akane, we just have to find them," Tofu reassured, stepping forward through the hole. He gestured for her to circle one way while he went the other, picking his way around shattered bits of flooring, until he saw a hand protruding from behind a larger chunk of debris. A few swift steps revealed a dark-haired and rather muscular teen sprawled flat on his back. The boy wore a black and yellow headband, a deep yellow tunic, and loose green slacks so dark they were almost black.

Tofu knelt and checked the boy. Unconscious, steady pulse, no visible injuries. The doctor looked up, but was unable to see his companion. "Akane," he called.

"What?" she replied, emerging from behind a large chunk of debris.

"Is this Ukyou?" Tofu asked.

"What?" The Tendo girl paused from her search and looked towards the doctor.

"I didn't quite catch all the names you mentioned, Akane. It seems you know a lot of people I've never met."

She hurried over. "No, this is Ryouga, Ryouga Hibiki," the girl replied. "Is...is he alright?"

"He seems to be asleep." Tofu paused, reexamining Ryouga. "I don't see any injuries, but we should take him in for a full examination."

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Ranma groaned and sat up. Dimly, he realized that his fingers were interlaced with someone else's.

He never saw the blow coming.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Tofu sighed. He wasn't really surprised at Akane's actions; somehow, Ranma had a talent for bringing out both the best and the worst in her.

"It didn't hurt," Ranma declared, rubbing the bright red handprint on his cheek. The boy sat on the floor of the gymnasium, staring at the shattered hole in the wall, the hole through which Akane had just stormed, carrying Ryouga towards a waiting ambulance.

"Ranma?"

The boy looked up at Tofu.

"Ranma, can you stand?"

"Sure, you trying to say I can't, Doc?"

Tofu ignored the retort. "I need to know what happened here. Specifically, I need to know who this is and what happened to her."

"This? This is Ucchan."

"Ucchan?"

"Ukyou Kuonji, that's her name. Nothing to worry about, Doc, Ucchan's just asleep. No, wait, she also...her ankle." Ranma glanced at the girl, then stared at the wall, his expression unusually serious. "A martial artist's duty..." he murmured.

"What was that, Ranma?"

"Duty." Ranma gave a short, not very pleasant laugh and gestured with his free hand. "More damage than most of my fights."

"This wasn't like most of your fights, was it?"

The teen shook his head. "This was for keeps, Doc."

"Could you make sure Miss Kuonji gets to an ambulance, Ranma? I'll see if anyone else is hurt."

"There is, Doc, but not here."

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Tatewaki Kuno lay sprawled among shattered desks in a ruined room. Tofu recognized the boy from Ranma's description, quickly checking him before attendants carried him off in a stretcher.

A second form lay crumpled behind the teacher's desk. "This is a teacher?" Tofu mused. The girl appeared to be in middle school at the oldest, though she wasn't dressed like a student. Tofu noted the modest dark blue knee-length dress and the slightly old-fashioned white sweater she wore.

"I've never known Ranma to lie." Regardless, Tofu checked the unconscious girl. Her pulse was weak, yet rapid, and her face contorted in pain.

Tofu frowned. He'd never had this many patients before.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Mr. Gosunkugi?"

The teen had been like this ever since he'd been admitted to the hospital two days before.

"Mr. Gosunkugi," Tofu repeated, "your parents called again." The boy blinked, then turned and stared blankly at the doctor, but said nothing. Still, there was something in his eyes, something unpleasant.

When Tofu had first examined the teen, he found Gosunkugi had suffered only minor bruises and abrasions. The patient was surprisingly durable considering his slender frame and lack of musculature, but he wasn't as resilient as the martial artists were.

Tofu excused himself and left the boy's room. Something was wrong, but others had suffered far worse and Tofu put Gosunkugi's problems to the back of his mind.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

"I insist, nay I demand, nay I require that you shall release me forthwith from this ill-favored place. None save mine own personal physician may examine the Blue Thunder of Furinkan High."

Tofu shook his head in wonder. "He's still going on like this after two days?"

The nurse nodded in reply.

"Everything checks out? No serious injuries?"

She nodded again.

"Then please send the longwinded fool home."

This time the nurse grinned as she nodded.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Something vaguely resembling a smile crossed Gosunkugi's face when they finally took Tatewaki Kuno home. The True Blunder of Furinkan High had a habit of soliloquizing loud enough to be heard on the entire floor of the hospital. Kuno's boasts had always ended in a challenge and the challenge always ended in merciful silence, though the silence never seemed to last long enough.

His sometimes ally blathering on and on and on and on made it virtually impossible to think. Perhaps that explained a lot of Kuno's own behavior. It was particularly annoying to hear the upperclassman call Ranma a 'foul sorcerer', as if either of those fools knew the slightest thing about casting a spell.

Gosunkugi sighed. _Now what? I'm even weaker magically than I am physically._

Gosunkugi's deepest dreams had no possibility of becoming reality. He had felt empty at first, but that was changing. Life refused to give him any sort of break and now a rage burned inside, a rage that threatened to explode out against the whole world.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Tofu didn't check Ryouga's room; the boy didn't have one anymore. Ryouga had still been unconscious when he reached the hospital. The staff had bundled him off leaving Akane standing in the hall, where Tofu had found her.

"I...I'm sorry, Dr. Tofu. Please, is Ryouga going to be all right?" There was moisture in Akane's eyes, but not quite tears. "It...It's my fault he got hurt," the Tendo girl continued.

Tofu murmured reassurances. "They tell me he's just asleep. Here, I'll take you in and show you."

But the room was empty; the boy had disappeared without a trace. Since then, Tofu had tried to put images out of his mind of Ryouga lying helpless somewhere because of hidden injuries he hadn't given anyone an opportunity to discover or treat.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Ranma, what are you doing in the hallway?"

"It was getting kinda boring in my room, Doc. I mean, up until you let Kuno out this morning, I at least had someone to give me a workout."

Tofu pulled out his clipboard. "Ranma Saotome," he intoned, "severe bruising across the chest, three cracked ribs, and a hairline fracture of the left wrist."

"Yeah, but that was days ago, Doc. I'm fine now."

"Ranma, I know that you heal at a rate most people would find impossible, but even you need to rest."

"But..."

"Really, I must insist. Just relax and take it easy. Don't do anything strenuous."

"Gotcha, Doc." Ranma sprang into the air, spinning to land with his palms flat on the floor. From the headstand, he cocked his head up at Tofu and smiled, pushing himself up until he was supporting his weight on his fingertips. "Something light." And Ranma began a series of pushups from a position most people couldn't even manage.

"Ranma, remember your wrist."

"Sorry, Doc." The pigtailed boy lifted his left hand from the ground and continued his pushups onehanded.

Tofu signed and shook his head. "What idiot decided to call them patients?" he muttered, "They're the most impatient beings in the world."

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Miss Ninomiya showed no more signs of physical damage than Ryouga, but she remained unconscious and unlike him, she couldn't be roused. That was bad; the fact Tofu couldn't find an explanation for it was worse.

Specialists were called in and tests performed, but they didn't have an answer, either. It wasn't like a coma, not quite. Brain wave patterns seemed to indicate Hinako was trapped in a state similar to Rapid Eye Movement or REM sleep. The time when dreams came.

The teacher seemed locked in an endless dream and the expression on her face implied it was not a pleasant one.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Tofu checked the nameplate on the door and knocked before going in.

"Your name is Ukyou Kuonji," he said hesitantly.

"Yes, but..."

"Sorry, I haven't really had a chance to talk before now, things have been busy. You seem to be somewhat of a mystery," Tofu smiled. "A girl with a boy's name. A Japanese girl wearing Chinese clothing."

Ukyou ignored the questions. "Is Ranchan gonna be alright?"

"Ranchan? Oh, you mean Ranma Saotome."

"Yes."

"Didn't the nurses tell you? He'll be fine. In fact, I've seen worse damage when he got hit by a baseball once."

"When are they gonna let Ranchan out? For that matter, when are they gonna let me out?"

Tofu deflected her questions with one of his own. "The way you call him Ranchan seems rather familiar, Miss Kuonji. I take it you know him well."

"As well as anyone, I suppose." Ukyou fell silent for a moment. "I'm his fiancée, but..."

"Another one? My, Ranma certainly seems to be a popular young man."

"Can I see him?"

"You need to stay off that ankle. I don't know how you managed to walk on it, but it wasn't a very clever thing to do, you probably aggravated the injury."

Actually, she'd performed acrobatic combat on it, but Ukyou hadn't mentioned that to the doctor. "I don't have time for that. I want to see Ranchan and then I need to get back to my restaurant."

"You work in a restaurant?"

"I own it. I manage it. I'm the cook. It's **my** restaurant."

"At your age? I'm impressed. Self-employment has its rewards, but it requires a lot of time and effort." Tofu considered for a moment. "Even if you're closed during school hours, that's got to be at least thirty hours a week, most of it on your feet." He glanced significantly at her bandaged ankle. "You need to stay off of that as much as possible, Miss Kuonji."

"Call me Ukyou, everybody does."

"Do you have any employees who can run things for you?"

"That's the problem, Doctor. Konatsu's probably gonna bankrupt me before the end of the week."

"That's the young lady who visited yesterday?"

"Actually, Konatsu's...never mind, you wouldn't believe me. Konatsu's a decent cook, and great at cleaning, but an idiot about money. Please let me out of here. I've gotta get back and I want to see Ranchan before I go."

The nurses had warned Tofu about the girl's two themes. "What you need is rest. Besides that ankle, you have bruises all over your chest and arms. Considering the apparent strength behind those blows, I'm amazed you didn't end up bleeding internally."

"I'm fine."

"You **will** rest. You need it badly."

She was still complaining when Tofu left the room.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Kasumi greeted the nurse politely, then headed for her sister's room. After a week, it should have been routine, but it wasn't. The same vague politeness from the staff, the same empty reassurances, the same half-hidden looks of pity.

Kasumi had come to see her sister every day, but she came alone. Her father had taken the news about Nabiki remarkably well. He merely fainted dead away.

_Someone needed to watch Daddy. I hope his blubbering doesn't affect Akane too much._

Genma hadn't come at all and Ranma had only visited once since his return from the hospital.

Nabiki remained on life support, a faint cloud in the breath mask the most noticeable sign of life. Her chest was covered with angry burns and only by looking closely could you see it rise and fall. Even Hinako stirred restlessly in her unconscious state, but these faint movements were the only sign Nabiki still lived. It seemed as if she didn't want to wake up.

"Nabiki, I don't know if you can hear me." Kasumi's voice sounded soft and halting. "Nabiki, you have to be strong. Please."

No one answered.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

A series of wooden practice dummies had been planted in the side yard, nearer the Tendo dojo than the house. Now only splintered remains were left, scattered across the yard among the first of the fallen leaves. A lone figure sat near the dojo, arms resting on his knees, staring glumly at the wreckage.

_Maybe that's all I'm good for. What was Akane's life like before I came along? Or Ucchan's? Or Shampoo's? And how come they keep putting up with everything?_

Ranma leaned back against the dojo wall, and exhaled slowly, his arms dropping limply at his sides. He looked up and to the right, seeing the clothes-drying balcony at the end of the Tendo house.

_It looks so much like the old one, the one Akane broke. I caught Nabiki then, but this time... Why didn't anybody tell me how bad she was? And it ain't like I could have done anything besides what I did._

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

The koi pond on the Tendo grounds was normally a tranquil place, except for the occasional involuntary immersions of Jusenkyou curse victims. The wind whispered gently, tugging autumn leaves from the trees in the gathering twilight. But the surface of the pond was writhing as if it was about to begin boiling over.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Akane lay on her bed, her pet cradled in her arms. "Oh P-chan, Ranma is such a jerk."

"Bwee," the little pig agreed with Akane. He always did.

"It's bad enough the way he treats me, but did you see what he did to Nabiki. It was...the burns...she...she's been there a week now and she's not doing so well, but he's hardly even scratched. I thought he was supposed to protect people."

"Bwee!" P-chan replied in anger.

"There she was...she was..." Akane recalled the way her sister's head and limbs had lolled limply as she rushed her to Tofu's and the sickly sweet stench of the burns she couldn't bear to look at. The sights, the smells would haunt her dreams. Akane didn't want to ever see anything like that again, couldn't bear to even go to the hospital yet.

"...and...and while Nabiki was like that, he was...he was flirting with Ukyou. Flirting!" Akane almost spat the word. "I knew he was a pervert, but I thought she was some kind of friend. Hah. You should have seen her. She was dressed worse than that bimbo, Shampoo, half hanging out of that skimpy outfit, obviously enjoying every minute of it and so was that jerk Ranma!"

"Bwee," the piglet agreed emphatically.

"Sometimes P-chan, I'd swear you actually understood me."

Her pet became extremely quiet and began sweating.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

The door to the family room was closed against the evening chill. Two men, one slender and longhaired, the other neither, sat at opposite sides of the table.

"Your move, Tendo."

Soun stared at the straight even grid of the go board, a dark stone piece his hand. "Why are we doing this, Saotome? It all seems so useless." He tossed the stone down, not knowing or caring where it went.

"Things will work out, Tendo. They always do. Nabiki will be up in no time, teasing Akane and selling pictures of my son."

Soun slapped his hand down on the board, cracking the wood and sending the go stones sailing. "No, they don't, Saotome. Things do not always work out. I lost my wife eleven years ago. Now my little girl is in the hospital, and she went there on the anniversary of my wife's death. It's an omen, a sign."

"You always did need to relax," Genma replied. "It will work out. No matter how many problems there are, things always end up the way we want. Like when Nodoka figured out Ranma's curse, but I was able to convince her Ranma should stay at his fiancée's house. Can you imagine the problems if Shampoo or Ukyou had equal access to Ranma?"

"Or if your wife found out they were also Ranma's fiancées..."

"Um, yes. But that just shows that fate is on our side. Remember our clever plan this summer where we put the magic tags with Ranma and Akane's names together at the Tanabata festival? No other fiancées there to get in the way and Akane didn't even protest when we put the tags back while Ranma was unconscious. We know magic works, now they're fated to be married someday soon."

"Yes, but have you got any magic that will heal my daughter?" Soun snapped.

Genma just stared at the board.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

_Ranchan didn't say goodbye when he left the hospital._

He hadn't called since Ukyou had been released, either. Odder still, he hadn't stopped by for food.

_I guess you scared him away, you idiot,_ Ukyou cursed. _So much for any good coming out of that mess._

Her finances were a disaster. Konatsu had cheerily and diligently driven her into a hole by combining unrelenting hard work with appalling ineptness at all things financial.

_Still, Konatsu meant well, there's no point in being angry. I can't get mad at Ranchan, either. Why would he want an uncute tomboy like me? I renounced my femininity. Is it any wonder he doesn't recognize it when I've forgotten how to be a girl?_

Ukyou stared down at the balance sheets, but she couldn't make them do what she wanted any more than she could make Ranma. I'd have been better off closing like the time I helped Ranchan on his training trip.

She smiled, remembering her dream of staying with Ranma even if he couldn't get his strength back. She sighed, threw her pencil down, and ran her fingers through her hair.

_Maybe a hot shower would help me relax._

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Dr. Tofu's clinic was quiet, but his thoughts clamored.

Gosunkugi would be returning home in the morning. The boy's physical injuries were healed, but something was eating away at his soul. The only things that moved anymore were his eyes. Eyes that burned with rage at everyone and everything.

Most of the other patients were already home, except for the missing Ryouga and the two that remained at the hospital, Nabiki and Hinako. Neither had regained consciousness and their conditions were deteriorating. It seemed like they didn't want to recover, and that frustrated Tofu. He was losing a battle with death and the patients weren't even fighting.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

It began in darkness, in a blackness as deep as the pits where the Mamono should have had eyes. Then he saw the gleam of eyes, angry accusing eyes, blaming him for Nabiki's injuries. Her stare was quickly joined by Soun's and Akane's, then his parents', then by dozens of duplicates that surrounded him. Ranma felt their gaze burning through him, like he had every night since he returned from the hospital.

Then the sound began, bombarding his ears. First the voices of his parents. "You should have protected her... How could you fail me like this... You're not a real man..." More voices battered against him. "It's your fault, Ranma." Ryouga said it first, then Mousse, then Nabiki, then Soun, and finally Akane. Words hammered against him like their weapons never had. They echoed and re-echoed till they became a senseless wave of sound washing over and through him.

Ranma wanted to retaliate, wanted to strike back with the same anger that was directed at him, but something restrained him even as the sound overwhelmed him.

Ranma's eyes snapped open. The same nightmare he'd experienced every night since his return to the Tendo dojo. He waited in the darkness for his pulse to slow to normal and his sweat to cool.

_I gotta get outta here before these dreams drive me nuts._

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

The shower hadn't calmed Ukyou.

_At least the stupid jerk could have called. If he's finally gonna dump me, he could at least have the guts to do that._

Ukyou slammed herself down in her chair. She couldn't bear to look at her financial records any more, but she was too upset to sleep. She snatched her school satchel and unclasped it. The school had returned it that morning.

Maybe it was time to read her grandmother's letter.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Ranma, do you have any idea what time it is?"

"Umm, sorry, Doc. I, ah, couldn't sleep." He chuckled nervously. "Can I come in?"

Tofu stepped back from the door of his clinic, which was also his home, and motioned for Ranma to enter. "You understand I do not favor the routine dispensing of medications for insomnia."

Ranma blinked in confusion. "I ain't sick or nothing. I just hoped I could talk a bit."

Tofu smiled wearily. "Would you like some tea, then?"

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Some people thought Ukyou didn't have a temper. Actually, she had a rather strong one; though it wasn't quite as hair-triggered as some of Ranma's other fiancées. Ukyou read her grandmother's letter a second time, periodically muttering threats.

"The Mano family have been Mamono Hunters for one hundred generations and it is our duty to protect people by banishing or destroying these monsters. Your mother and her sister Sayoko should have been that 108th generation of Mamono Hunters."

"But these powers come with a price. Only women of our line may use the Yoma ring and summon soul weapons and only if they remain pure in mind and body. Above all, they must not indulge in sexual relations before their sixteenth year. Your mother eloped with your father when she was only fifteen and I then discovered your aunt Sayoko had already been active in that way. The line of Mamono Hunters was in danger of fading away."

"I could watch over and protect your cousin Yohko, but you were away travelling with your father and I needed to protect you from what could be a fate worse than death for all of humanity. Please forgive me, I could think of no other way to be sure. Your father disapproved, but I eventually convinced him. I know he wasn't sure how to raise a little girl alone. He only had three years with your mother before he lost her."

"I'm sorry, Ukyou, but my actions were necessary. I performed a magic ritual, some might even call it a curse, but I did it for the greater good. That sounds inadequate, but it is true. The ritual twisted fate. It insured that events would separate you from any man you loved or that loved you."

Ukyou growled. _How could Grandma possibly justify this? And Father always seemed so gruff and distant, but to agree to put a curse on me, his only child? My life is a mess, and it's as much their fault as Genma Saotome's._

"The ritual was designed to fade after you safely turned sixteen. Sadly, the spell seems to have an unintended side effect; it was not the perfect shield I thought it was. The only ones who could get past the spell would be women, or men that were less than fully masculine."

_If only Grandma knew._ There were reasons Ukyou had transferred to a boys middle school. _Konatsu's a good friend, but I want a husband, not a servant. Tsubasa was annoying and obsessive, kind of like Kuno in drag. No, even Kuno's got more style._

"Indeed, I suspect this side effect may in some way be responsible for your fiancé Ranma's unfortunate accident at Jusenkyou."

_So that's Grandma's fault, too._

Anger was replaced by sympathy and by an unhappy realization.

_I'm more like Grandma than I want to admit. I'm trying to juggle things so I get Ranchan and everybody else gets someone they want. Now it looks like I can't ever have him thanks to this stupid curse._

Tears welled in Ukyou's eyes and she almost didn't see the lines she missed the first time she read the letter.

"Fortunately, the spell and its effects began fading after your last birthday. Soon you should be entirely free of its restrictions and can make up for lost time."

_I still have a chance. As long as there's any chance..._ Ukyou blushed. _What did Grandma Mano just say? Make up for lost time. Does she mean... Ukyou had fantasized about marrying Ranma. But to actually...me and Ranchan...to do that...I don't think we're really ready..._

_You're afraid,_ whispered another voice inside her.

"I am **not** afraid!" Ukyou didn't realize she had spoken aloud. The abrupt ending of the letter brought her back to the present. All the pages related to using the Yoma ring or summoning her soulblade were missing and she was certain that was no accident.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Ranma's pack lay in the corner. He sat across the table from Tofu staring at the steam coming off the cup of dark liquid. He took a brief sip of the tea and began.

"Guess I'm pretty dumb, huh? Takes a monster trying to take over my mind to make me see what a mess I'm making of everything. I mean, sometimes I feel like some twisted oni is running my life, keeping me so busy reacting to new problems I never solve any old ones.

"Only way I'm ever gonna solve anything is if I start doing stuff on my own. Everybody tries to run my life for me, and no wonder. I sure ain't doing nothing about running it."

Ranma paused to take another sip.

"So I got thinking, Doc. When we first got here my dad got a job with you and later so did Shampoo. I guess she stayed here before Cologne showed up. I don't know if you still got any stuff to do around here, but I was hoping you could give me a job and a place to stay."

"Ranma, did Mr. Tendo kick you out of the dojo?"

"Naw, nothing like that, at least not this time, but after what happened..." Ranma winced, and stared at nothing for a moment. "I figure it's best to get away till they cool off. I mean, Mr. Tendo spends all his time bawling like a baby or doing that creepy angry demon head thing of his. And Akane, I think she hates me. I think maybe she always did."

"Ranma, I doubt Akane hates you."

"Maybe you're right, Doc," he replied wearily, "but she sure has a funny way of showing it sometimes." Ranma frowned. "Sorry, I'm tired, that made less sense than usual. What I'm trying to say is if Akane doesn't hate me, she sure is good at faking it."

"What about staying at your mother's place?"

"I dunno. I love her, she's my Mom, but she's got her ideas of what I should do and she's even more stubborn than Pops. I want to make sure my decisions are what's best, what's right, not what Mom and Pops force me into."

"I assume you mean your fiancée problems."

"How...?" Ranma shook his head slowly. "Guess everybody knows, but that's only part of it, Doc. My name means 'wild horse' and there seem to be a lot of people trying to break me. I mean, you can force an animal to do what you want; all you hafta do is break its spirit. I can't live like that. I gotta find another way."

"What about one of your friends or other fiancées? I'm sure they'd be happy to let you stay with them, Ranma."

A deep sigh was all Tofu heard for a moment.

"Doc, I...I don't think I have any real friends."

_Ucchan, the one you take for granted,_ his subconscious reminded. _The one who went with you when the old lech made you weak. The one who took you in when Mr. Tendo kicked you out. The one you're afraid of._

"I mean, Ryouga is sorta," Ranma continued, "if we could ever quit fighting, but that idiot can't even find his own house. The rest of the guys that hang around me at school only do it to try picking up stray fiancées of mine." Ranma sighed. "Do you know how many fiancées I've got, Doc?"

"Three. Akane, Shampoo, and Ukyou. I met Miss Kuonji the other day. That certainly was a rather daring outfit she was wearing. And, of course, I already knew Shampoo and her great-grandmother."

"That's just the start. If Akane drops out, her dad and my folks will just push Kasumi or Nabiki into the job."

Seeing Dr. Tofu's eyes glaze at the mention of Kasumi's name, Ranma moved on quickly. "They even switched things for a while and had Nabiki be the fiancée instead of Akane. I didn't like that." Ranma stared blankly at his tea. "I hope she's gonna be alright," the boy whispered.

Tofu didn't reply, though the expression on his normally cheerful face was anything but encouraging.

"Anyway, that's five," Ranma continued. "Then there's Lin-Lin and Ran-Ran."

"Who?"

"Lin-Lin and Ran-Ran. Amazon sisters of Shampoo. I don't think they're blood sisters, but I ain't exactly sure. I beat them in combat, so according to their laws they hafta marry me, too. Well, only if Shampoo doesn't marry me. That's seven."

"So even if you find a way out of your first obligations to the Tendos or the Amazons, you still haven't solved either of those situations."

Ranma shook his head. "And there's more. Kaori makes eight. I don't think you met her. Expert at Fast Food Takeout Martial Arts. She's supposed to have given up on the idea, but I keep waiting for her to come back. After all, I thought we'd seen the last of Shampoo when she went back to China."

"Then there's Picolette Chardin." Ranma mangled the French words.

"That's a man's name, isn't it?"

"Yeah, but he thought I was a girl. It was another stupid promise." Lack of sleep didn't hide the anger in Ranma's voice. "Anyway, that's nine. I got outta that one, though."

_I hope._

"Not sure if I should count Sentarou, the tea ceremony idiot on the horse. He gave up when he found out I wasn't a girl and his fiancée wasn't a monkey. That's all I know of, but Pops could be cutting a deal right now with Principal Kuno."

Ranma shuddered involuntarily and made warding motions with his hands, realizing there were two different ways his father could engage him to a Kuno.

Tofu poured some more tea. "I had no idea your life was so complex. I am willing to let you live and work here, but wouldn't you rather stay with Ukyou or Shampoo? You seem to get along with them well enough."

"You really think I wanna sleep at the Neko Hanten? I'd probably wake up somewhere in China, if Mousse didn't kill me in my sleep. Now Ucchan's, I did consider that. But some of the girls after me are a little...violent. If they thought I was staying with Ucchan, who knows what they might try to do to her?"

_Liar. You're just afraid,_ a voice echoed inside. _You saw her eyes, you heard her words, you know how she feels, and you ran._ Tofu's was a safe place, neutral ground. Living at Ukyou's would be making a decision he'd been avoiding ever since he came to Nerima.

"So, Doc, I can stay here?"

"Only if you promise to call me Tofu. Oh yes, and you **will** pay for any damage caused by fights here."

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

A small pig with a mood as black as his hide wandered aimlessly through the Tendo yard.

Ryouga angered easily, but he didn't usually stay angry. This time, it felt like he had molten fire flowing through his veins. Ranma's treatment of Akane was inexcusable. If he was thinking more clearly, Ryouga would have understood the more problems there were between Ranma and Akane, the more chance he had of Akane noticing him. Even that wouldn't have been enough to eliminate his anger; he couldn't stand to see Akane hurt in any way.

But he wasn't thinking clearly. Images filled his mind; images of Ranma's broken, bleeding body; of every ounce of Akane's emotional pain repaid and redoubled in physical pain for Ranma.

The small pig smiled grimly, as the surface of the koi pond seethed like a boiling cauldron behind him. A watery tentacle arced forward, there was a confused "Bwee", and then the night was still again.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

The autumn night was clear and peaceful. Ukyou stared out her bedroom window into the lonely darkness. She couldn't sleep; there was too much to think about. It wasn't enough that she needed to run her own business, attend school, and try to sandwich in a few minutes a week to see Ranma. Now she had new responsibilities as a Mamono Hunter.

Ukyou pressed her forehead against the cool glass. That thing at the school probably could have killed them if it hadn't been overconfident and sadistic. And Aijou was only one of the five passions.

"Haradachi, anger. Kietsu, joy. Ikari, hatred. Yokkyuu, desire. Aijou, sorrow."

The dark-haired girl sighed and wrapped her arms around herself, feeling that last emotion without the monster's prompting. Part of her wanted to go part her grandmother's hair with a battle spatula.

"I don't know how to be a Mamono Hunter. I don't know how to be a cute fiancée. I don't even know how to be a girl anymore. I wish Ranchan were here. It's hard to deal with this alone. I don't know what I can do. I don't know what I'm supposed to do. I'm so tired..."

Ukyou exhaled slowly. Her friends, her classmates, her customers might be in danger merely from being near her. If she avoided them, they might be in more danger. Ukyou shivered. She wouldn't be getting much sleep this night.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Breakfast at the Tendo's was subdued, but Kasumi sensed an undercurrent of tension. Ironically, the two people who weren't there were the cause. Nabiki's health had continued to deteriorate. And Ranma had disappeared during the night.

"Mr. Saotome, do you know where Ranma is?"

"Growph?" The panda continued shoveling down breakfast.

Even Kasumi's patience had its limits and she upended the teakettle over the furry freeloader.

"Aaagh! Kasumi, that was hot!"

She smiled innocently. "Oh, I guess it was. Now could you please tell me where Ranma is? It's not like him to miss a meal. Is he ill?"

"Would serve him right," Akane muttered.

"Akane, it's impolite to interrupt. Besides, that wasn't a very nice thing to say about your fiancé."

"Who says I ever wanted an idiot like that as a fiancé? Who says I wanted a fiancé at all?" The girl slammed her chopsticks down on the table. "Ranma's a rude, insensitive jerk!"

"Akane."

"It's true, Kasumi, and you know it. I'm leaving for school and I don't care if I ever see that idiot again." The front door slammed shut and silence returned to the Tendo home.

Disappointment was clear on Kasumi's face as she turned once more to Mr. Saotome.

"Really, Kasumi, I have no idea where the boy went. He shouldn't do things like this to make Akane mad. I don't understand what's gotten into him."

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

"So, Ranma, she must have been good," hinted Hiroshi.

"Huh?" Ranma replied blearily. Between the nightmare and his talk with Dr. Tofu, Ranma hadn't gotten much sleep until he got to class. Now he just wanted to eat his lunch and get back to sleep, not talk.

"Oh, come on, you can tell us," chimed in Daisuke.

"Wha...?" Ranma replied. "Who?"

"Ukyou, you dummy. What was she like?"

Ranma blinked a few times.

_Didn't I already tell them about the fight with the Mamono?_

"Umm, Ucchan was really good. At first I was worried about her keeping up with me, but we both went the distance," he grinned wearily.

The other two smiled knowingly.

"Good endurance, eh?"

"Yeah, she wouldn't quit and really acrobatic, too. Ucchan tried some moves I didn't think she was capable of. Took my breath away."

"So tell us about your techniques."

"Sorry to disappoint you guys, but some things gotta remain secret." Discussing martial arts techniques with them would be a waste of time. "Frankly, neither of you is in good enough shape to try most of them anyway. I will say Ucchan improvised a whole new technique and I tried another I'd almost forgotten."

Ranma was now awake enough to tell Hiroshi and Daisuke were acting strangely, but not awake enough to care why.

"Guys, can I eat lunch now? I'm still tired."

Hiroshi elbowed Daisuke and they chuckled.

"Sure, if you answer one last question."

Ranma sighed.

"Doesn't it bug you that she always wears guy's clothing?"

"Ucchan doesn't always wear guy's clothing." Ranma smiled nervously and blushed as he remembered how revealing the scarlet Mamono Hunter dress was. "She sure proved that to me."

Ranma returned to his lunch, unaware he had poured several gallons of gasoline onto the bonfire of the school rumor mill.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Unlike Ranma, Ukyou managed to stay awake through her morning classes. Now that it was lunchtime, her head was down on her desk and she was sleeping peacefully. Of course, that peace wouldn't last long.

The better martial artists in Nerima could sense each other's chi, especially if they were in battle. A wave of hot chi washed over Ukyou and she snapped awake. Akane stood in front of Ranma's desk, her battle aura so powerful you could almost see it. Akane's face had almost turned purple, veins bulged on her neck and forehead, her mouth twisted back in a grimace and her clenched fists were held straight down at her side. Akane's whole body trembled with barely restrained emotion.

Ukyou idly thought that whoever coined the phrase 'you're beautiful when you're angry' was a raving lunatic, then snapped to full alertness as her sleep-starved senses screamed for her attention.

"You...you...you...pervert!" Akane shrieked at the unconscious Ranma.

He slept on, making no more move to defend himself against Akane than he normally did. Ukyou quickly slipped between the two, trying to defuse the situation.

"C'mon, Akane, just leave Ranchan alone. You know he's not a pervert and he needs his sleep."

"You. This is your fault. Of course, you'd try to defend him." There was venom in Akane's tone and other words followed; hard, cruel, insulting words; but Ukyou didn't really hear them anymore.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

A chorus of voices yelling "Catfight!" woke Ranma. His first impulse was to flee through the nearest window even if they were on the third floor, until he saw what was really going on. It was more of a brawl than a fight as Akane and Ukyou grappled with each other intent on serious mayhem. Both were too enraged to use their martial arts techniques, which actually reduced the potential for property damage and bodily injury dramatically.

Ranma moved forward, intending to pry his two fiancées apart. "What's going..." was all he said before Akane flattened him with a school desk.

Ukyou drew her battle spatula and the two girls glared at each other. Battle auras flared and the other students dived for cover.

From the floor, Ranma groaned, "What was that for?"

"Ranchan, are you okay?" Ukyou knelt beside him, her quarrel forgotten.

Akane growled. "Fine, have it your way! You perverts belong together anyway! I never want to see either of you again!"

As the shorthaired girl stormed off, Ranma rubbed his head and asked, "What was that about, Ucchan?"

"I wish I knew, Ranchan. I've never seen Akane that angry before. It doesn't seem normal."

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Ranma stared out the classroom window. The pool was empty now, save for a scattering of leaves in the bottom. More had fallen with the chill of the last few days, leaving the occasional bare branch reaching through the colorful foliage like small blackened claws.

"So you're staying at Dr. Tofu's now, Ranchan?"

He turned and faced her. "Yeah, it seemed like a good idea. I'm trying to sort some things out. Besides, I don't think the Tendo place is exactly healthy for me now."

"You could always stay at..."

"Yeah, I know."

For a moment neither had anything to say, and that silence continued to stretch awkwardly.

"Why are they all looking at us?" Ukyou whispered. None of their classmates were sitting nearby, yet most were watching them, some rather openly.

"I dunno, it's creepy, all those staring eyes. Maybe it's another Mamono doing it?"

Ukyou closed her eyes and concentrated. "I don't sense anything, not that I exactly know what I'm doing here." She smiled wryly. "Otherwise, I sure would've picked a different costume."

Ranma's sleep-starved brain let his mouth run on ahead of it. "Yeah, I sure got a good look. I mean, I didn't mean to look. I didn't see nothing. I didn't mean to see nothing." Eventually he noticed Ukyou blushing. "Umm, Ucchan, I...I'm sorry. I didn't mean to embarrass you or nothing. I...umm...well...aaah..." Subconsciously, he flinched away from an expected malleting.

Ukyou interrupted, trying to end Ranma's tripping over his tongue. "Tha...that's okay, Ranma. If anyone was gonna see me in that outfit, I'd want it to be you." She laughed nervously and blushed a deep crimson.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Nabiki's business associates went into action, in her absence. A tall brunette named Jinko was acting leader till Nabiki's return from the hospital.

"Okay everyone, listen up. Sorry there wasn't time to meet until after school. At any rate, this tasty new information about Ranma and Ukyou has the potential for being very profitable. We need to re-evaluate the odds we offer on most bets. Obvious odds to modify are marriage related: who, when, chance of it being completed, chance of surviving the ceremony. We can expect an increase in the number and violence of fights so we need to keep up on odds laying and ticket selling. Any other ideas?"

"We should sell this information to Kodachi Kuno and the Chinese girl before they find out themselves."

"Good idea, Makoto, I'll assign you to get that." Nabiki could have more than tripled the list of potential purchasers.

"What about blackmail?" another girl asked.

"Please, blackmail is such an unpleasant word," Jinko replied. "I prefer referring to it as Financial Remuneration In Order To Insure The Confidentiality Of Information."

The other girls blinked in confusion.

"Considering Ranma blabbed all about it to his buddies over lunch, there's no chance of profit there. They aren't even trying to hide anything. Besides, I don't want to deal with angry martial artists. Did you see what they did to the gym?"

"That reminds me, I have physical education class with Ukyou," a girl named Meyoko piped.

"And?"

"If I pay close attention I should be able to figure better odds on pregnancy related bets."

"Excellent, that information could also affect combat odds dramatically."

If Nabiki had been conscious instead of on life support, she would have cursed over all the missed chances for turning a profit. She could have found at least half a dozen profit making ideas the others missed, but the girls did remarkably well in spite of their leader's absence.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Aiyah! This is too too bad great-grandmother. Shampoo no understand what Airen doing. Shampoo have much better figure than Spatula Girl and Shampoo show this to Ranma many many times, but he no do anything."

Cologne wished her great-granddaughter didn't believe quite so many tales about the outside world. Not all males became weak, helpless, and easily manipulated when exposed to a naked Amazon woman. Not that Shampoo had ever been good at subtlety.

"At least this proves he doesn't prefer boys," Cologne replied.

"Shampoo not so sure. Spatula Girl usually dress like boy."

"He might have noticed some slight differences once she removed her clothes," the elder Amazon replied sarcastically.

"Good, Pervert Girl no ruin Airen as husband." The girl was positively beaming.

Sometimes Cologne failed to follow her great-granddaughter's line of thinking, but it usually wasn't worth arguing over.

Shampoo spun towards the door.

"Where are you going, great-granddaughter?" Cologne interrupted.

"Law says obstacles is for killing. Shampoo go kill Spatula Girl and take Ranma home to China," she smiled.

Cologne groaned in frustration. Shampoo was not stupid, but she was extremely overconfident. None of her generation came come close to matching her physical abilities and the girl had become mentally lazy because of it. That attitude made her tend to act before thinking things through.

"What would Ranma do if he knew you killed his lover?"

"That be very bad great-grandmother."

_Good, the child **is** capable of thinking things through._

"Should Shampoo make it look like Violent Girl or Psycho Gymnast kill Spatula Girl?"

Cologne smiled. "Very good, you have the beginnings of a plan. Now we need to work out the details. And Shampoo, please work on your Japanese. I find it embarrassing when a fool like Mousse can speak their language better than my own great-granddaughter."

"But great-grandmother, as long as I speak their language poorly, they will continue to underestimate my intelligence, which gives me a definite advantage in combat. It costs both of us some pride, but I believe it is well worth the advantage it brings," the girl rattled off in excellent Japanese.

Cologne raised one eyebrow. Perhaps Shampoo was devious enough to succeed her on the council one day, after all. The ancient Amazon smiled broadly, a sight which anyone but Shampoo would have found utterly terrifying.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Aaah, how could my beloved Ranma Darling allow himself to be bewitched by this common peasant girl! Fear not, my dear one, I, Kodachi the Black Rose, shall free you from that harridan's clutches. Then, though I suffer cruelly from the fact that I have not had the privilege of being your first lover, I shall ensure that I shall be your last."

Kodachi's laughter filled her room as the family ninja Sasuke hurried to report to Master Kuno. Clearly Mistress Kodachi had something very unpleasant planned for Akane Tendo.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

After the third ring of the telephone, Kasumi wiped her hands on her apron, and turned down the burners on the stove. Akane had gone straight to the dojo after school, and the sounds of splintering wood, shattering concrete, and shouted imprecations still occasionally drifted over to the house. Her father and his sometimes furry friend were probably in the family room playing shogi again. No one had seen Happosai for a while and no one seemed interested in searching for him.

Even if Kasumi wasn't the closest to the phone, she'd probably have ended up answering it. She moved forward and then hesitated, her hand inches from the phone. It rang again and Kasumi snatched it up.

"Hello? Is this the hospital?"

"No, it's Ranma."

"Where have you been? What happened? Are you okay?"

"Sorry, I didn't wanna wake anyone. Guess maybe I shoulda left a note or something last night."

"We were worried about you."

"Thanks, Kasumi, I know you were. The others are too busy worrying about..."

"It's not your fault."

"It sure feels like it. They sure make me feel like it."

"Ranma, are you alright? When are you coming back?"

"Alright? Yeah, I guess. I gotta get away from there for a while. I ain't mad at nobody, I just had to do it." There was silence on the line for a moment and then he whispered, "Tell Akane, ask her not to be mad at me. Aah, but she'll be mad at me anyway. I'm tired, tired of making her mad all the time. And I'm tired of making 'em all sad, tired of hurting everybody." Kasumi heard a deep sigh. "Sorry, I just gotta get things sorted out. Don't worry, I'll be alright."

"Are you sure, Ranma? Do you have somewhere to stay?"

"I'm fine. I got a job. It ain't much, but I'll be sending you some money to help with the hospital bills."

"You know you don't have to do that."

"A martial artist is supposed to help people. Maybe this way I can..."

"Ranma?"

"Sorry, I'm kinda tired. Please don't tell anyone where I am."

"You haven't told me."

Silence answered her.

"I won't tell anyone if you don't want me to," Kasumi added.

"Thanks, Kasumi. I'm at Tofu's. Bye."

And the phone went dead.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Fear not, Akane Tendo, for I, Tatewaki Kuno, shall save you!" The tall swordsman bounded over the retaining wall, landing in the Tendo yard, then charged into the dojo. Shattered fragments of cinderblocks showed the girl had spent most of the evening acting out her frustrations on the hapless building materials.

Kuno struck a dramatic pose against the setting sun and began his monologue.

"My darling Akane, I grieve that the foul sorcerer Ranma Saotome has sullied your honor. It lessens my love for you not one whit, for I apprehend you must needs have been compelled by his vile sorceries, for never would you give yourself willingly to such a base knave. In truth, it is also my sad duty to warn you that my twisted younger sibling seeks now to bring you harm, though fear not, for I shall surely defend you. As well, you have my solemn pledge that I shall smite Ranma Saotome with a full and righteous vengeance for so daring to besmirch your honor."

By this point, Akane figured out Kuno was saying.

"You think I'd let that jerk Ranma do something like that! You're as disgusting as he is!"

A single kick smashed Kuno through the dojo roof. As broken tiles rained down, the older boy arced over the Tendo house and plunged into the koi pond. The water's surface writhed, but the only sign left of Kuno was his wooden sword lying near the small pool.

"Akane, is there someone in the dojo with you?"

"Just upperclassman Kuno, Kasumi."

"Would he like to stay for dinner?"

Akane gleefully looked up to the Kuno-shaped hole in the roof. "No, Kasumi, I already showed him the way out."

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Elsewhere in Nerima, a pair of women surveyed Ukyou's restaurant from the rooftops. It wasn't long before they noticed each other.

"What you do here, Psycho Girl?"

"I could well ask the same of you, you Chinese peasant."

Shampoo muttered a curse in Mandarin. Kodachi had used the word Chinese like it was something dirty.

"Ah, but I can speak your language as well and your rude manner of speech reveals your base origins." Kodachi smiled as she effortlessly switched languages.

Reluctantly deciding that Kodachi was for the moment more useful alive, Shampoo continued the conversation in Mandarin. "I assume we are both here to deal with Ukyou and free Ranma from her. Since our goals are the same, I suggest we cooperate."

"Much as when we cooperated with Ukyou to free Ranma from that witch Hinako. I agree, though I have not yet seen my darling."

"My **husband** is probably sleeping upstairs in her bedroom. We Amazons know that men have far less stamina than women and Ukyou gave him a rather thorough workout last night if half of what I've heard is true."

Neither girl looked remotely pleased at **that** idea.

"We must watch for a time when they are separated," Shampoo continued. "There are too many customers as witnesses and later they will be...together."

"Plus there is the waitress she employs," added Kodachi.

"Waitress? When did Ukyou get a waitress? What does it matter anyway?"

Kodachi rolled her eyes and pointed. "I didn't catch the name, but look at her, watch the way she moves."

Shampoo paused for a moment, evaluating the stranger. "There's something wrong, but she's good, and she's more than just a waitress."

"Again you demonstrate your ignorance," Kodachi laughed. "Surely even in the tiny village in the rural province where you were raised you have heard of the ninjas; masters of stealth, spying, and assassination."

Shampoo smiled a not very nice smile. "Of course I've heard of the ninja. They're cheap imitations of the lin kuei, the Chinese originals. Still, imitation or not, this waitress is more than she seems. She could complicate matters. We should probably return in the morning and look for a chance to separate Ranma from Ukyou."

"I am content to stay and wait." By which Kodachi meant she didn't trust Shampoo alone anywhere near Ranma.

"I think I will stay, too," replied Shampoo. She didn't trust the Kuno girl either.

"Then we are agreed." The pair sat down to watch both the restaurant and each other. Unaware of the unwanted observers, Ukyou did a brisk evening's business and then retired to her bedroom for a long and well-deserved sleep.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Ukyou's smile was as bright as the morning sun. She stretched her arms slowly and sighed. It was a beautiful morning and she was looking forward to the day. Lunch with Ranma had been nice and maybe, just maybe, the fates would let her enjoy that again.

On the rooftops, Shampoo's and Kodachi's moods were cold and bitter. The temperature had plummeted during the night and while it hadn't snowed, they were not dressed for it. The useless waiting for an opportunity to attack and their mutual distrust only heightened their attitudes. Currently they were feeling more than slightly homicidal.

A door opened and angry eyes followed the unsuspecting dark-haired girl down the street. Shampoo and Kodachi rose, glared at each other, and followed, neither noticing that a dark-clad form was stalking them. The ninja-turned-waitress was one of the less violent people in Nerima, but Konatsu had no intention of allowing anyone to harm Lady Ukyou.

Yet there was a hint of sadness in Konatsu's eyes, a slight downturn to Konatsu's mouth. Ukyou knew about the scroll her waitress had written, full of words of love for the young okonomiyaki chef, but that hadn't changed her feelings for Ranma. Regardless, Konatsu owed them both and as long as they were happy...

_Perhaps if I tell myself that enough, I'll believe it._

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Ranma hadn't expected a job at Dr. Tofu's would be so hard. No wonder his father had only lasted a couple weeks at it. Ranma had expected the physical labor of tidying up the place, but not the sorting and cataloging of medicinal herbs, their preparation, or studying pressure point charts. The other unexpected thing was Tofu explaining that all this could help him become a better martial artist, though he hadn't told Ranma how yet. That was still enough motivation for Ranma to try his hardest.

"Ranma, it's time for school."

"Thanks, Doc, I mean Doctor Tofu."

Ranma rushed out the door, taking a route that looped wide of the path Akane would travel to Furinkan High. He'd never seen his uncute fiancée stay angry this long, but it seemed best to continue avoiding her for a while.

He hadn't planned on his route to school intersecting someone else's.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Ranchan," she beamed.

"Oh, um, hi Ucchan."

She paused, noticing his downcast eyes and shuffling walk. "Tough day, Ranchan?"

"Yeah."

"Wanna talk about it?"

"Nope."

Ukyou stopped for a moment, resisting the urge to smack her fiancée. He stopped as well, turned and looked back at her.

"Ucchan?"

Her hand was already swinging forward, catching him lightly on the shoulder.

"Tag! You're it Ranchan."

"Wha...?"

"Betcha can't catch me before I get to school," she called over her shoulder as she sprinted forward.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Konatsu sighed, wiping away a trace of perspiration with an elegant, if slightly threadbare handkerchief, and regretting that all this skulking about was not particularly ladylike. At least Ukyou appeared to be out of danger for the moment.

The ninja had spotted Shampoo and Kodachi the night before. Ukyou had never introduced Konatsu to either rival and had barely even mentioned them, but Ukyou's employee was the best the Kenzan clan had produced. Thanks to those skills, Konatsu knew a great deal more about events in Nerima than anyone expected.

Still, the ninja needed to learn more about Ukyou's enemies. They'd watched the restaurant all night and followed Ukyou all the way to school. Ranma and Ukyou had seemed oblivious to the girls following them, but once the pair reached the school grounds, their unwanted followers gave up and wearily turned towards their homes.

Deciding who to follow was easy.

Shampoo was returning to see her great-grandmother Cologne, probably the most skilled and dangerous martial artist in Nerima. The Kuno mansion only had semi-paranoid inhabitants, state of the art electronic security, vicious guard beasts including gigantic alligators and a greenhouse full of exotic and potentially lethal plant life. Besides, the Kuno siblings had the annoying but useful habit of discussing their plans out loud.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

The substitute teacher for English class didn't know Ranma well enough to be surprised by his actions. Ranma paid attention because many of the books and papers Dr. Tofu had him working with were in English. By thinking of it as Martial Arts Language Mastery, the boy was actually making decent progress. The rest of his classes received Ranma's normal lack of attention.

Akane's schoolwork suffered dramatically. Nabiki's deteriorating condition left her worried and distracted, plus there was the blind rage she felt towards Ranma and Ukyou. Soun and Genma had arranged for Ranma and Akane to share classes, probably in another attempt to force their children together. Ukyou had signed up for the same classes that Ranma was taking. Akane was forced to see both of them all day every day.

Large quantities of yen were eagerly bet over when the explosion would hoccur and what its consequences might be. None of the students guessed the type, timing, or perpetrator of the real explosion correctly.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Unlike American schools, Japanese students usually eat lunch in the same room they have their classes in. Everyone clustered together with their friends, leaving Ranma and Ukyou alone in the middle of the room again. Ranma glanced at Akane, who frowned and made a point of turning her back to him.

"Ranchan?"

"Wha...?"

"I said I feel like the pair of fish Miss Hinako keeps in her fishbowl. It's just the two of us inside while everyone watches."

He scanned the room, seeing the glances and the outright stares. It was far too much like the dreams that had haunted him until he left the Tendo home. He didn't like Ukyou's comparison, but he couldn't disagree with her, either.

"That's not the only way we're being watched, Ucchan."

"You mean Shampoo spying on me on the way to school?"

"And Kodachi."

"I didn't spot her, but she is better at being sneaky. Were they together?"

"I'm not sure, Ucchan. They don't usually get along."

Ukyou stared down at the desk. She had cooperated with both Ryouga and Shampoo in attempts to separate Ranma and Akane, even though she hadn't particularly liked either of her allies. It seemed that the harder anyone tried to split Ranma and Akane up the closer they grew and the harder their parents tried to force them together the more it drove them apart.

"Is that why she's so angry all the time?" Ukyou whispered. "And how must Ranchan feel? Pushed, prodded, and coerced in so many different directions."

"Hey, Ucchan, what did you say? I couldn't hear you."

"I'm sorry, Ranchan. Sorry for a lot of things," she replied.

"That's okay." He wondered what Ukyou was talking about. He hoped she wasn't going to cry. He never knew what to do when a girl cried.

"Promise me something, Ranchan. Promise me that whoever you end up with, you'll be happy. Please, promise me."

"Uhh, sure Ucchan." He frowned in puzzlement. Ukyou kept changing the subject of conversation in a bewildering manner. Once again, Ranma wished his father hadn't kept him away from feminine influences. Then he was sure he'd understand how women thought. He tried to return to the original problem in his own blunt way.

"Ucchan, we may not know why they're spying on you, but I don't think it's a friendly kind of thing. Would it be okay if I stuck with you going back and forth from school? I mean, it's not like you can take both of them in a fight."

"Hey, I could take either one of them!"

Ranma winced reflexively. He was used to getting pounded for saying anything even slightly critical. Moments passed and Ranma relaxed as he realized Ukyou wasn't going to smack him.

"Ain't that what I just said, Ucchan? You could take either one, but not both and that's where I cone in."

"Oh. Thanks, Ranchan. I...I...thanks."

She was smiling again. Ranma hesitated and then grinned back at her.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Alright, Tendo, that's enough moping about the house."

"What?" Soun stared at Genma.

"I know just the thing that will snap Nabiki out of this."

"You do?"

"Yes. Girls can't resist weddings. So all we have to do is find my son, drag him back, and marry him to Akane. There's no way Nabiki would miss that."

"Really?"

"Of course, Tendo. Have I ever been wrong before?"

"Well, there was the noodle incident."

"Never mind that, we need to be going."

Kasumi leaned her head into the family room. "And I packed lunches for both of you. Yours is in the kitchen, Father."

Soun stood, straightened his brown gi, and walked towards the kitchen. Kasumi held up a hand for Genma to stop.

"Thank you, Mr. Saotome. Anything's better than Father sitting around brooding, even something as silly as this search for Ranma. Just remember it might not be good to find Ranma too fast."

Genma nodded and followed Soun.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Things fell into a new routine for the next several weeks.

Every morning Ranma accompanied Ukyou to school, while Shampoo and Kodachi followed them, and Konatsu followed everyone. Every lunch period, if the weather was cold, Ranma and Ukyou sat alone together in the middle of the room, surrounded by whispers and stares. If it was warm, the two went to the roof to be alone for lunch, and the room filled with vicious gossip and ribald speculation behind them. Either way, Akane endured it all in seething silence. Every evening the parade returned to Ucchan's.

Every day Nabiki and Hinako grew a bit worse, while Doctor Tofu called Kasumi to keep her informed. Though he was ashamed it took something this serious to make him stay in control just talking to the oldest Tendo girl on the phone, he found to his surprise that they were speaking about a lot more than Kasumi's sister, and talking much longer than he ever planned.

Every morning, after a delicious breakfast courtesy of Kasumi, Genma and Soun set out to find Ranma, returning in time for dinner and finishing the evening with a few hours of shogi or go. Unless, of course, Akane was cooking, in which case they arrived well after dinner, donned hazmat gear, and disposed of the leftovers. Their detective methods had more in common with sheer luck than Sherlock, though they often found some good quality sake that needed to be subdued.

And they failed to notice that their efforts to find Ranma only made Akane angrier. More observant men might also have noticed that Akane wasn't just getting angry a lot, but she was staying that way. She seethed against Ranma, their engagement, Ukyou, and life in general. She was short tempered with her father and Mr. Saotome. She even blew up at Kasumi once.

The new pattern was about to change for all of them.


	3. Haradachi Part 2

Mamono Hunter Ukyou Chapter 2

Haradachi: Cauldron of Anger

Part 2

By Edward A. Simons

Based on characters and situations created by Takahashi Rumiko. Ranma 1/2 and characters copyright Shogakukan, Kitty Animation Circle, and Takahashi Rumiko. Devil Hunter Yohko and characters copyright NCS, Toho Company, LTD., and Mad House. This story revised 2004 by Edward Simons.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Come not within the measure of my wrath."

Two Gentlemen of Verona

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Aw, great," Ranma muttered. He stared out the classroom window, where flakes of white were drifting from the sky. "All the leaves haven't fallen from the trees yet and now this happens. How am I supposed to make it back to..."

A swift jab to his ribs interrupted the boy. "Hey, what was that for?"

"We are still at school, Ranchan," his companion whispered, "I though you wanted to keep where you were staying a secret."

He turned from the window and looked across the classroom. Akane and several of the other students were already gone. A handful had stayed, sitting in the far corner, talking quietly, but frequently glancing at Ranma and Ukyou.

"Eyes. This bunch is watching us here. Shampoo and Kodachi are watching us on the way to and from school. I hate all this waiting; when are they gonna do something?"

"Have you ever heard the saying about being careful what you wish for, Ranchan?"

"Nope."

"Be careful what you wish for, you might get it," Ukyou quoted.

"What's wrong with getting what you wish for? Well, unless you're an idiot like Kuno."

"I wouldn't know." She sighed and stared at the floor.

"I, um, did I say something wrong again?"

"No." She looked up and smiled, and Ranma saw something in her eyes again. He swallowed, but he wasn't sure what to say.

Ukyou burst out laughing. "You should see your expression. Like a fish with its mouth hanging open."

"Hey!" But he smiled.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Searching for the boy had been almost a game at first; a chance to get away from the house and knock the rust off his skills of observation, searching, and moving unnoticed.

But it wasn't a game anymore. The boy had been missing for weeks and he couldn't shake the sense of uneasiness, the dread that the boy might never return. He was almost certain where the boy had gone, even though he hadn't seen or heard him leave. He'd spied on her house since that day, but in spite of all his skills, he'd never even gotten a glimpse of the missing boy.

Unfortunately, he couldn't buy the information off Nabiki, either, not while she remained comatose in the hospital. For once, he actually missed the girl. That left him the unpleasant alternative of talking to a woman that he had no desire to face.

He would have put it off, but he heard the front door open, then slam shut. Reluctantly, he advanced towards the entryway, shivering because of the sudden draft and perhaps something more.

"Um, excuse me..." Sasuke squeaked.

Kodachi glared down at the diminutive ninja who served her family. "Here, you may take my coat," she intoned icily, tossing it as she spoke. Sasuke was almost buried under the garment, but he struggled free.

"Excuse me, Mistress Kodachi, but I..."

"What? You're still here? I have no time for chitchat, I must change from my school uniform to my leotard and continue my training."

Sasuke shifted nervously. Kodachi had been practicing gymnastics a lot over the past weeks, when she was even home. She didn't seem to have gotten much sleep over that time, and her curt speech and abrupt behavior showed something was troubling her.

"Well?" she snapped.

"I, um, Mistress Kodachi, have you seen Master Tatewaki? He's been gone for quite a while now."

"I care not what my brother does. Perhaps he has run off with that pigtailed peasant he fancies."

"Perhaps, but I had the impression that Master Tatewaki had intended to visit Akane Tendo."

"Then perhaps you should question her yourself. I have better things to do than worry which of his so-called true loves my brother is currently pursuing. I suppose I should wish him luck for should he succeed with either girl they will no longer be annoying my beloved Ranma Darling. Still, Tatewaki is my brother and wishing luck to him does go against the grain."

"And there is a greater threat than either Akane or the Pigtailed Girl, a threat to my and my beloved's future happiness and I shall not rest until I have freed my darling Ranma from her dark sorceries. I have no time for my brother or his foolishness."

And she was gone, leaving only a scattering of rose petals and the dying traces of her laughter.

"Now what do I do?" Sasuke asked the empty air. "I'm glad Mistress Kodachi hasn't harmed Akane, but that means she is still after someone else. And there's something wrong about Master Tatewaki's disappearance."

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Most of the students had already left the school, though one pair still stood in the front entryway. "No point in waiting," Ranma sighed, "This snow ain't letting up anytime soon. I guess I get to walk home as a girl."

"I'm not sure there's quite enough snow for that, Ranchan. Still, why take chances."

"You've got something that can keep my curse from triggering?"

"Ancient Mamono Hunter Secret," she intoned.

"Ucchan."

"Just watch." She reached into her school satchel and pulled out a dark cylinder about as long as her forearm, though nowhere as thick around. She pressed a hidden catch, and the cylinder popped forward to more than twice its previous length and unfurled.

"An umbrella?"

"Afraid someone will think you're a wimp for using one, Ranchan?"

"It's a lot more manly than turning into a girl," he replied, grasping the umbrella handle firmly, only then realizing that Ukyou had already been holding it.

"Ucchan...I, um, that is, um..." The temperature seemed to be soaring, perhaps that was why his mouth had gone dry.

"Oh. That's, um..." Her face had gone red and she seemed to be staring at their hands. "I, um, guess we better get, um, going. I'll have the dinner rush at the restaurant soon."

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Mousse's greeting died on his lips. In the main room of the Neko Hanten restaurant, the handful of customers fell silent as well. Shampoo, granddaughter of the owner and the love of Mousse's life, stalked through the room and towards the stairs.

Mousse stepped forward to greet her, but she backhanded him into the wall, then continued up the stairs to her room.

"What?" Mousse stumbled to his feet. "Who?" But he knew who to blame. "Curse you, Ranma Saotome," he snarled and charged out the front door. The beauty of the falling snow meant nothing to the nearsighted Chinese boy as he raged down the street. Flakes struck his robes, quickly turning to small patches of damp, but not enough to trigger his Jusenkyou curse.

"Where are you?" the boy yelled, "What did you do to Shampoo this time?" But his words were lost in the empty streets.

Then he spied a figure of red, only a blurry manlike smudge without his glasses, standing near the street corner. A flurry of blades and chains sprang from the sleeves of the acknowledged master of hidden weapons.

Mousse's target never stood a chance. Riddled by steel and decapitated, the fire hydrant expired, fountaining its contents across the street, and catching the boy squarely in the chest. Mousse sailed backwards, changing as he did so, crashing into the nearest wall and falling to the pavement, leaving a bedraggled and bespectacled duck, struggling to free himself from robes that no longer fit. Mousse righted himself, flapped his wings and retreated towards the warmth of the Neko Hanten.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

The streets were largely empty, with only a few others out in the gathering snow and the unseasonable cold. Even their tracks had disappeared under the thin coating of white, turning streets and sidewalks into something almost magical, like the page of a story not yet written.

Ranma glanced over at the girl sharing the umbrella with him. She smiled and he blushed realizing how close they were, how his hand still touched hers on the handle of the umbrella. He saw the color in her cheeks, realized she was embarrassed as well, yet there was no anger because of that embarrassment, simply a slightly nervous grin and a look in her eyes he didn't fully understand.

_I still don't know what I feel, but it's kind of comfortable when I'm with her._

It was more than just a shared past or common interests. A walk with Akane was a walk through a verbal minefield. They didn't argue as much as some people thought, but it was so easy to say or do something that would set the Tendo girl off. With Shampoo, he had a constant sense of unease, wondering what the girl was plotting this time.

_Not that I wasn't usually trying to get something when I went out with her, too._

But the Chinese girl hadn't followed them this night and Kodachi had disappeared as well. It felt nice to be able to relax. The only sound was the faint scrunch of their shoes in the snow and Ranma realized how little peace he had experienced since he came to Nerima. He knew the moment wouldn't last, but it still felt good.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

"I'm home." But no one answered. "Hello?" Akane removed her shoes in the entryway, though no one came to greet her, then padded down the hallway to the family room.

The go board lay unattended, the stones of an unfinished game scattered across it. Her father and his fuzzy freeloading friend were obviously off on one of their ridiculous attempts to find that unwanted idiot Ranma.

Akane growled, spun on her heel, and stalked back down the hall, turning left into the kitchen. There was no sign of Kasumi, either.

"Usually she's home by now." The words seemed to fade in the empty house and Akane shivered. Everyone was gone and that brought back unpleasant memories. She looked out the window towards the dojo. They kept her mother's shrine there, a reminder of the woman who used to be the center of the family.

But now the dojo reminded her of someone else, a loud and laughing pigtailed boy who'd appeared one day and now was gone again. And the things she had to endure now. The things she had to see. The way Ukyou hung all over Ranma now. The strange ring she wore on her left hand.

"Not that it matters who that jerk gives presents to."

Then there were the rumors, the things Akane overheard in school. The roof during lunch. The athletic equipment shed. Underneath the stage in the school gym. The really disturbing stories of what they did in the school kitchen, the one place school policy barred her from visiting again. Too many people knew someone who knew someone who had seen or heard or even interrupted Ranma and Ukyou in one of those not-so-secret trysting places.

"Pervert. Who cares what he does anyway? It's not like he was ever caring or considerate or dependable like some people."

The phone rang, and Akane jumped in surprise. She scurried back to the hall and picked up the receiver.

"Hello?"

The stumbling nervous voice on the other end was no one Akane had expected, Sasuke, the Kuno family ninja.

"Yes, Kuno was here, but I haven't seen him in weeks."

"Please call me if you see him again. I haven't been able to find him and you may be the last person to have seen Master Kuno before he disappeared."

Akane hung the phone up, then swallowed hard, recalling the way Kuno had left - under her power, not his.

_Kami, no. What if I hit him too hard?_

She sprinted to the family room, pausing just long enough to fling the sliding door open before charging into the night. The koi pond filled much of the side yard and the flagstones that ringed it were cold on her stocking feet.

"Kuno?" she whispered.

Snow gently drifted from the sky and a thin tracing covered most of the grounds, save for a rough circle around the koi pond. P-chan's tracks were long buried, but there was something in the shadows on the far side of the pond, something partly visible beneath the snow. Akane sprang to the far side of the pond and snatched it up.

It was a bokken, a wooden practice sword, and it wasn't one of hers. The wooden weapon was almost certainly Kuno's. He wouldn't abandon it, but there was no sign of the boy. Akane stared numbly at the bokken. She barely sensed something moving behind her, but it didn't give her time to scream.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

The restaurant was quieter than the streets. A handful of regulars had stopped by earlier, but asked for takeout. Only the owner, her waitress, and the owner's pigtailed fiancé remained.

"Thanks for the free okonomiyaki, Ucchan. It sure can cost a lot living on your own." His words trailed away. "Sorry, you know a lot more about that than I do."

She gave a faint smile. "That's okay, Ranchan."

"Say, umm, Ucchan, I was...well..."

"Yes?"

"Well, if you want to, after you close, I was hoping, umm..."

"Yes?" she repeated.

"I...ahh, ain't trying to be cheap or nothing, but I ain't got much money. I was thinking of going skating, if that's okay with you."

Ukyou furrowed her brow. "Ranchan, are you trying to ask me to go skating with you after I'm done with work?"

He nodded, afraid he would stumble over the simplest of answers.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

The Neko Hanten wasn't just quiet, it was closed. Few wanted to dine out in the current weather, and Shampoo had been in no mood to make deliveries. Tables had already been cleaned, floors swept, and a certain white duck locked in a cage where he could not interfere.

"Great-grandmother it be very, very strange. Ranma no sleep at Spatula Girl's. Shampoo watch for many many days, but he no even kiss her. Perhaps stories about them wrong."

"Then why is he no longer staying at the Tendo home? Remember, the Kuonji girl has practiced hiding her true nature for years."

"But Airen is..."

"Ranma has great strength of will, you know how many times he has resisted your charms. He would be capable of hiding his feelings in public."

"But Shampoo watch Spatula Girl's restaurant many many nights now. He eat her food and go back to Doctor Tofu's for rest of night. He no sneak back to Spatula Girl's later."

"Then perhaps she sneaks out to visit him. You said her only employee is a ninja. She could easily have taught Ukyou some of her techniques."

"Aiyah, Shampoo no think..."

"Yes, great-granddaughter, that is your problem. You do not plan carefully enough. You do not expect your opponent to be clever. You must learn to think more like your cursed form - clever, cunning, stealthy - you must watch your prey until the time is right to pounce. I know it is hard to be patient when one is so young, but it is necessary."

"Yes, great-grandmother," she whispered meekly.

"Smile, child. You are not doing badly, I merely wish you to do better."

"Thank you, great-grandmother."

"Now, we should not interfere at Dr. Tofu's. We owe him a debt for the hospitality he showed you when you first came to Japan. Many Japanese wouldn't have even considered employing you or giving you a place to stay. "Besides," Cologne continued, "you would be almost certain to encounter Ranma and Ukyou...together. While there would be a high chance of them being...distracted, they would probably respond with greater fury at the...interruption and there would be no chance of convincing Ranma you are not responsible for his lover's death."

"Life was much simpler back at our village, great-grandmother. Here, the Japanese do not recognize our laws and we must sneak about, hiding our actions instead of boldly executing criminals. I wish we could go home."

"Not until our work is done, my child."

"Did you hear back from the council of elders, great-grandmother? The law allows for if outsider male is already married, his wife can be junior wife to Amazon. Is maybe a way out of this mess. Is not good way, but better than killing someone."

"I sent the message, Shampoo, but their reply was no surprise. The elders' decision is stated rather formally. You would probably find it a boring and difficult read. Neither Akane nor Ukyou is Ranma's wife, so the Law of Junior Wives does not apply. I might, perhaps, be able to persuade the council to make an exception for one, but never for both. For now, they would both be considered obstacles and you know the law."

"Obstacles is for killing," Shampoo recited. "Law is easy to say, hard to do. Girl Ranma, even when angry Shampoo could not kill her. Akane have potential, but is too weak, almost like killing someone not a warrior. Though after Stupid Akane almost get Shampoo trapped as cat forever, or abandon Shampoo when supposed to be ally against Pink and Link, Shampoo very tempted."

"Great-granddaughter," Cologne admonished, "it still surprises me that a warrior like yourself finds killing so difficult. This is probably your father's fault; I still don't know what your mother ever saw in that weakling."

"That why you send Shampoo's father back to village instead of have him stay as cook?"

Cologne ignored the question. "Killing Ukyou should be easier."

"Why? Ukyou willing to fight me from moment she saw me during the Hot Springs Race. Ukyou willing to fight me again later and without power of Super Soba. Ukyou fought with Shampoo against Hinako, fought as a true ally. This be...this will be hard. Shampoo be glad when this over."

"Soon, my child, soon."

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

The restaurant was closed, but the lights were still on.

"Konatsu, are you sure about this?"

"Lady Ukyou, I trained at this for years. If you want your makeup done correctly, then relax and let me do my job."

"Okay, okay, I just hope Ranchan likes this."

"Between my skill and your beauty he will have no choice but to like it."

Ukyou felt her stomach tighten and her heart dancing in her chest. After all this time, she was finally going on a real date with Ranma. She hoped everything would go smoothly, but that seldom happened in Nerima.

"Hello, are you listening? You have to leave the battle spatula behind."

"But..."

"Listen, I'm the expert here and it just won't look right."

Ukyou pouted.

"Lady Ukyou, please."

She sighed and unstrapped her weapon. It felt wrong to leave it behind.

"And are you sure about wearing that?" Konatsu gestured towards the Yoma ring.

"Well, I won't be needing it again. I'm sure the Mamono was just something that showed up and we'll never see again, like Hayato or Tsubasa. That happens a lot here in Nerima. But I'm keeping the ring as a good luck charm. At least, since I've worn it, I've actually got to spend a little time with Ranchan."

Konatsu nodded. "You do still need to put the battle spatula down, though."

"Oh, yeah." Ukyou blushed and chuckled faintly. "I suppose you're right. At least I still have my hand spatulas." She smiled and twirled the paired weapons she'd acquired during the battle with the Mamono. Konatsu sighed, but knew when to give up. The ninja-turned-waitress didn't mention the letter from Ukyou's grandmother that had arrived that afternoon. She deserved a night to relax, responsibilities could come later.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

"See ya, Doc. I'll be back later."

"Ranma, please call me Tofu."

"Sorry, Doc, umm, I mean Dr. Tofu."

"Thank you. Now where are you going at this hour and where did you get those ice skates?"

"I found them in the back a couple days ago when you had me clean out the storage area. Since you weren't using them, I figured I could."

"Didn't you think of asking?"

"Asking what?" Ranma scratched his head in puzzlement.

"If you could borrow the skates."

"Didn't I just say you weren't using them?"

Tofu sighed, wondering just who had been in charge of raising Ranma. "It's better to ask." He paused a moment. "Why do you have two pairs of skates, Ranma? And you seem more nicely dressed than usual."

"I, erm, well, that is..."

"Might you actually be going on a date?"

"I, uh, sorta. How did you know?"

"Believe or not, I have been on a few myself," Tofu smiled. "Be sure to tell me how it went."

"Ain't you gonna ask who? You were kinda pushing Akane when I first got to Nerima."

"Akane really can be a sweet girl, though I think you got off on the wrong foot with her, and I wanted to help you see past that. But that was before Shampoo began working as my assistant. She disappeared one night and I didn't find out why until after she returned. When I learned that she was also your fiancée, I backed off. In the end, it has to be your decision."

"Don't you think I know that?"

"Sorry, Ranma, I guess I'm being a bit too serious."

"That's okay, Doc, you're about the only adult who quit pushing one of the girls on me. Me and Akane's dads keep pushing her. So does my mom. Cologne ain't gonna let me forget about Shampoo. Seems like Ucchan's the only one who ain't got someone backing her."

"That's the girl I met at the hospital," Tofu stated. "Is she an orphan?"

"I dunno. I think her dad is still around and I think she said she's got a grandma, but they don't live around here."

"I see." Tofu glanced at his watch. "Oops, sorry to have kept you. You better get going, the ladies don't like to be kept waiting."

Moments after the boy left, the phone rang.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Akane? Hello? Is anyone home?" No one answered Kasumi, though the house felt almost as cold as the weather outside. The oldest Tendo girl stepped into the kitchen, placing a couple sacks of groceries on the sideboard, then stepped back into the hallway.

There was a definite draft coming from down the hall. "Father?" No one replied, so Kasumi walked down the hall. The door to the family room was wide open, letting the cold air in. She sighed and her breath was a puff of whiteness.

She stepped towards the door, reaching to slide it closed, then hesitated. It seemed as if there was something moving out in the yard.

Then the phone rang.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Ranma took a breath and mentally reviewed the rules.

_First, apologize for being late. Second, compliment her on her appearance._

Then he added his own third rule.

_Don't screw it up like that idiot Ohta you saw on that TV show._

He knocked on the restaurant door. It slid slowly open and Ranma found himself speechless. He had called Ukyou his cute fiancée more than once, but now the word cute seemed completely inadequate. Ranma swallowed and began his verbal katas.

"Um, sorry I'm late, Ucchan. You look, umm, wow, I mean..."

Ukyou blushed, but was unable to reflexively swing her battle spatula at the source of her embarrassment.

Konatsu smiled. Ranma's reaction was exactly what the ninja had foreseen. Also as expected, keeping the battle spatula away from Ukyou had proved just as important as the perfect makeup job. Now to follow discreetly and prevent anyone from interfering with their date.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

In the hallway of the Tendo home, the phone beeped incessantly, slowly swinging back and forth at the end of its cord, mindlessly complaining it had not been set back on the hook.

Soun had downed a bit too much sake on this latest 'find Ranma' expedition, but he could still sense something was wrong.

"Akane? Kasumi?"

Genma, pragmatic as ever, ignored his friend's latest overreaction and shuffled into the kitchen. One sack of groceries sat on the counter; while a second seemed to have overturned, tumbling the contents to the tiled floor. A variety of fluids spread across that floor, leaking from shattered jars.

Genma frowned. This wasn't like Kasumi at all.

Meanwhile, Soun raced though the house, calling names, flinging doors open. His daughters weren't in the house. Soun raced out the kitchen door, ignoring Genma, and charged into the dojo, but it was empty as well. He circled furiously through the yard, finding no trace of either daughter.

But there was something by the back wall of the property, a misshapen multilimbed thing. In the stillness of the night, Soun swore he heard a strange burbling chuckle, a sound as mindless as the noise of the telephone.

Soun shook his head, not wanting to believe his senses. He looked again, and it was gone. "Saotome!" When his friend didn't appear, Soun raced back to the kitchen. "Saotome, something has taken my girls..."

"Nonsense, Tendo, that's just the sake talking." Genma paused from his contemplation of the groceries, and popped something in his mouth.

"But..."

"Listen, Tendo, we know Kasumi is too nice for anyone to hurt her," the bald martial artist replied, his speech only slightly garbled by the rapidly disappearing groceries. "And Akane too tough for anything too serious to happen."

"What if she's been kidnapped again?"

"Then that's perfect."

"Perfect? How could that possibly be perfect!"

Genma sighed. "Haven't you seen the pattern? Some martial artist comes out of nowhere and kidnaps Akane. My son, showing all the skills I taught him, beats them and gets Akane back." Genma paused, savoring the moment, as well as a final bit of food. "And Ranma and Akane end up getting closer. If you could loan me some money, I was even thinking of hiring a few kidnappers to help the relationship along."

"Why...that's...that's brilliant."

"Of course, Tendo. I can't help it if I'm the smartest and the best looking."

"But why are you eating my groceries?"

"Um, I search better on a full stomach," Genma replied hesitantly.

"I thought you said we didn't need to look for Akane?"

"Um, I didn't want the groceries to spoil?"

"You could have just put them away."

"Er, I'm just a harmless panda."

"Saotome," Soun growled.

"Look! It's a hundred yen coin!"

"Where? Where?"

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Ranma had never managed such an easy victory. The canal winding through Nerima had been Ranma's enemy ever since he moved to the district. Now, after the cold snap of the last week, it was safely frozen and no threat at all. Ranma smiled as he looked down on the long white ribbon of ice.

"Looks pretty good, don't it, Ucchan?"

"Yeah, Ranchan. It sure does."

He glanced back over his shoulder, "Hey, how can you see the canal at all when you're standing right behind me?"

"Oh, um, yeah, the canal looks nice, too." She had another one of those expressions he didn't really understand, her eyes glazed and a fair amount of color on her cheeks.

"Um, Ucchan, you okay?"

"Yes. So how do we get down to the ice?"

"We jump." And Ranma sprang forward, catching the railing and flipping over the fence, then plunging downward to the ice below.

"Ranchan?" She hopped up, balancing on the fence. "I don't think he has any idea how good he looks in those tight pants. Or that soft smooth crimson shirt covering all those taut muscles." Ukyou blushed. "I can't believe I said that out loud. At least he didn't hear me."

"Ucchan?" he called from below.

"Catch me!" and she sprang forward. The rushing air was cold against her skin, and then she was in Ranma's arms.

"Aren't you afraid I woulda missed?"

She shook her head.

"I gotta put you down so we can put the skates on."

"Oh. Um, sure." She was blushing again.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

In the hall outside the emergency room, a tall bespectacled man and a beautiful longhaired woman sat on a couch. She clung to him, her face pressed tightly against his chest. Neither seemed to realize she had lost a shoe in her frantic run to the hospital or that her foot was cut and bleeding. Finally, Kasumi raised a tear-streaked face.

"Tofu, I know they're doing the best they..."

"Shh, Kasumi, just rest."

"It doesn't look good, does it?

He wanted to lie, to tell her that everything would be all right. But he only hoped that and he couldn't lie to Kasumi. "Those are good people, they'll do their best."

"And it may not be enough. I lost my mother here and now...now my little sister lies in there. It's happening again and I'm still helpless. If only she'd fight it. She used to be so good at..."

Kasumi began crying again as Tofu slowly and gently ran his fingers through her hair. "This is my fault," he muttered, "I should've been smarter, more observant, more something. It shouldn't happen this way."

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Ignoring the weather and the lateness of the hour, Ranma and Ukyou darted along the surface of the frozen canal, the sound of their skates lost among the noise of laughter echoing off the concrete walls. It was far too long since either of them had a chance to laugh or a reason.

Ranma had improved considerably since the since the Charlotte Cup, but he wasn't a master skater, either. If he'd played it safe and cautious, well, he wouldn't have been Ranma.

"Hey, Ucchan, watch this."

The acrobatic spin ended in a jarring thud and Ranma lay flat on his back. Ukyou skated over and knelt beside him. Ranma looked up at a face haloed by the full moon. A mischievous smile crossed Ukyou's face.

"You know, Ranchan, I've been observing Konatsu's martial arts and I think now would be the perfect time to test one of the secret techniques of the shinobi, the female ninja."

"Umm, whatcha talking about?"

"It's a very powerful move." Ukyou's smile grew deeper. "Done right, I'm told it can render the strongest man helpless. Would you like me to demonstrate, Ranchan?"

"Sure, that would be..."

"Remember you asked for this," she whispered. "Crimson Attack." And she pressed her lips to his in the briefest of kisses.

An incoherent scream of rage came from above, ringing off the walls. Ranma and Ukyou looked up to see Shampoo plummet from a bridge over the canal. She landed well, then whipped out a pair of bonboris, huge metal maces favored by the Amazon girl. She was too far away for them to see the tears in the corners of her eyes, but they couldn't help but hear her words.

"Spatula Girl stay away from Airen, if she want to keep breathing!"

Ukyou popped back to her feet, hand spatulas at the ready.

"Not good enough, Spatula Girl, Shampoo have bigger pair than you!"

"Once, just once, I get the chance to go on a real date and you have to show up," Ukyou growled back.

Ranma had regained his feet as well, though he felt strangely lightheaded. "Shampoo, Ucchan, I'm sure we can..."

He never finished the sentence as a second figure descended almost silently onto the frozen river between them. Both clothing and hair were dark as the night sky. Konatsu had been raised to conform to the cute and cheery stereotype expected of a girl, and typically behaved that way, but this time the ninja's face was grim, serious. Konatsu shifted to a wide legged stance for greater stability on the ice, drew a sword and pointed it menacingly at Shampoo, though she spoke before the ninja could.

"Out of way, Stupid Ninja Girl, and you no get hurt."

"No." Konatsu's voice was firm and clear. "I lived my life serving the rules of the Kenzan Ninja Clan. Lady Ukyou and Lord Ranma helped set me free from that, but you're trying to force them to obey your cruel, arbitrary, antique Amazon laws."

"Now you insult Amazon tribe. Prepare for pain, Stupid Ninja Girl."

Konatsu didn't flinch at her words, didn't waste time correcting their errors. Anger boiled in the ninja's veins, anger worse than when Konatsu's foster family drugged the ninja with toushintan. Konatsu wanted, needed to lash out, to make someone pay for all the poverty and the misery that life had been.

"You'll have to get past me, Haughty Amazon Girl," the ninja mocked, thrusting forward with the sword. Metal clashed as Shampoo batted it aside with one mace, swinging forward in an overhand smash with the other.

Konatsu backflipped, and the bonbori embedded in the ice with a crunch. Bits of ice were still flying as Konatsu ran up Shampoo's overextended arm, kicked her in the head, and backflipped again, as the Amazon's second mace whistled through the space the ninja had just left.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

"She's flatlined," the doctor repeated. His voice was crisp and efficient, unlike the forced drama of the television shows, yet there was an urgency to his words.

"Clear," another called. The rest of the medical staff pulled back, giving room. A shorthaired teen's body convulsed as the electric paddles touched her chest, then lay limply on the gurney.

"Again." It might aggravate her injuries, but that wasn't important now.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Ranma started forward, but Ukyou grabbed his arm.

"But we gotta help."

"Ranchan, what was Konatsu's life like before we met?"

"Um, getting ordered about by a bunch of ugly freaks?"

"Exactly. And do you think Konatsu would have left the ninja clan without our encouragement? That whole life was taking orders, but look now." Ukyou gestured towards the battle. "Instead of a meek waitress, that's a warrior standing against Shampoo, standing without anyone's encouragement. I think Konatsu needs to do this and do this alone to be fully free of the Kenzan Clan."

She didn't know her waitress was already under the influence of something worse. Konatsu had never felt a rage like this. Shampoo had tried to force Ranma into an unwanted marriage using every underhanded trick in her Amazon book and now she dared to try to attack Lady Ukyou.

_She's just like the people who ran my life for all those years. Well, she is better looking._ Of course, warthogs were better looking than Konatsu's family. _She's almost as cute as I am._

The ninja concentrated on Shampoo's twin bonbories, leaping and spinning, but unable to penetrate her guard again. The Amazon's maces were deadly weapons, and she struck back fiercely. Only nimble dodging ensured that all Shampoo shattered was ice.

"I hate just watching."

"So do I, Ranchan, so do I."

"Um, Ucchan, did I ever mention Amazon laws to you?"

"No, is it important?"

Ranma didn't get a chance to answer. He'd been standing close to Ukyou, close enough for a gymnastics ribbon to spiral around them and bind them even closer. A less than fully sane laugh rang across the night.

Kodachi's eerie laugh only distracted Konatsu for a moment, but that was all Shampoo needed to glance a bonbori off the ninja's head.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Something was watching, something old, something not of this world. It was called Haradachi, which meant anger, and there was plenty of that emotion emanating from the combatants below.

Almost effortlessly, the Mamono had used its powers to heighten those feelings. Soon conscience and self-control would be drowned in a sea of fury, leaving raging beasts ready to tear anything apart. Shampoo was nearly there; Konatsu and Kodachi close behind. Best of all, the Mamono Hunter was beginning to fall under Haradachi's influence as well. She lacked the skills, the knowledge to guard against the creature.

The others might destroy the Mamono Hunter. It might even get her to destroy herself. If not, Haradachi planned to use the fury of the ones it had absorbed. Occasionally, a limb twitched from futile struggles to regain control, but Haradachi did not fear their escape. The strange burbling laugh came again from multiple mouths as the Mamono shambled towards a better place to view the combat.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

"You wicked, wicked girl," Kodachi called from the darkness above. "How dare you cling to my Darling Ranma in such a familiar manner!"

"Hey, it ain't like Ucchan's doing it on purpose," Ranma replied. "You're the idiot who decided to wrap us up with your stupid gymnastics ribbon like a couple of Christmas presents!"

"I wouldn't mind unwrapping the present, I mean, you tell her, Ranchan."

"Release him this instant!" the gymnast demanded.

Ranma flexed his muscles, expecting to snap the ribbon like it was made of straw. Instead, the slight expansion one way crushed Ukyou closer to his chest. "I...umm..." She'd turned beet red. "Please, not so rough, Ranchan."

Kodachi gave an incoherent cry of rage and flicked her wrist, using the ribbon to send the bound pair skidding across the ice. Ranma spun, taking the hit as they smashed into the concrete wall of the culvert.

"Are you okay?" Ukyou asked.

"Fine," he replied through gritted teeth. "This ribbon's a lot tougher than it..."

This time Kodachi tugged them away from the wall, swinging them forward and upwards, pulling them completely free of the ice. They landed heavily, wobbled, but managed to stay on their feet.

"Okay, now I'm getting annoyed. Ucchan, are your feet still free?"

"Yes."

"Then let's try to unwind this thing." They began spinning, and the ribbon loosened for a moment, but with a simple gesture Kodachi sent more loops soaring over their heads. There wasn't room for a Moko Takabisha. While the chi attack would certainly shred the ribbon, whatever it was made of, he'd also tag himself and Ukyou with it.

Kodachi used the opportunity to bounce them off the concrete again.

"Didn't wanna use this," Ranma muttered, "But we gotta get free and she's earned it tonight." He began spinning the opposite direction with Ukyou following his lead, wrapping themselves in even more of Kodachi's ribbon. Soon all slack was gone and they pulled the gymnast from her perch atop the canal wall.

Kodachi flipped though the air, landing gracefully on the ice. She kept hold of the ribbon as the others continued to spin, drawing her forward in a tighter spiral.

"Wait, Ranma Darling," Kodachi called. "I can give you more pleasure than a mere cook. When it comes to acrobatic skills, none can compare to mine. I know several herbal concoctions which can be used to enhance the experience." The Black Rose continued in some detail, promising an impressive variety of exotic bedroom techniques if Ranma would only be hers.

Ranma tried to ignore her and focus on summoning the Hiryu Shouten Ha. But someone else had never practiced the Soul of Ice, had never learned that kind of control.

"Ucchan, you gotta calm down. Ignore the stuff Kodachi's saying. You gotta keep cool or it's gonna screw up this technique. I dunno what would happen with a source of hot chi this close." His words were a cup of cold water poured into the boiling cauldron of Ukyou's rage; a rage that seethed hotter, fiercer, stronger than even the rage she had when she found Ranma after ten years of searching; a rage that was only brought under control by a stronger, deeper emotion.

Ranma didn't think all that through, he just improvised, like he always did.

"Crimson Attack," and he pressed his lips to Ukyou's. Her eyes grew wide, but she returned the kiss as one passion was washed away by another. Her lips pressed against his, her body crushed against him, and he forgot the ribbon that bound them, forgot everything but her. He barely noticed catching his skate against the shards of broken ice left by Shampoo's rampage, barely realized he had fallen to the ice, pulling her with him.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Konatsu stumbled and nearly fell. The ninja had almost dodged, but almost wasn't enough.

"Stupid Ninja Girl tougher than Shampoo thought."

Konatsu ignored the Amazon's words, ignored the throbbing pain and the flowing blood covering the ninja's face and staining both clothes and the ice below. Through the one eye still open, Konatsu saw Shampoo switch to a two-handed grip on the mace she hadn't thrown. She smiled an unpleasant little smile full of contempt

"Stupid to get distracted," Shampoo added, not taking her eyes from her opponent.

"More stupid to throw away a weapon."

Konatsu hooked the bonbori with a foot, and flung it backwards. The mace went skittering across the ice, ricocheted off the canal's concrete wall, and finally slid to a stop.

The wounded ninja smiled mockingly. The rage burning inside had grown fiercer, stronger, a fire in the blood that refused to be quenched. The Amazon girl would pay for all the pain she had caused and it didn't matter what it cost. Konatsu heard a deep growling noise, dimly realized the voice came from inside. It didn't matter anymore; Konatsu intended to end this permanently.

Then something else landed on the ice. Both combatants stepped back warily as they eyed the latest potential threat. The form between Konatsu and Shampoo spun to a stop revealing a short brunette with long lustrous hair, dressed in a frilly pink figure skating outfit. Neither had met Azusa Shiratori, the shorter member of the Martial Arts Figure Skating Team known as the Golden Pair, so they were understandably confused. All they knew was that the longhaired, short-skirted girl was either very brave or very foolish. They were right on both counts.

Azusa winked at Konatsu and then twirled to face Shampoo.

"Out of way, Pipsqueak Girl," the Amazon hissed.

"How dare you damage my dear Pierre. Isn't he just the cutest boy you've ever seen?" Konatsu looked puzzled at the new name while Shampoo appeared mildly nauseous.

"Boy? Just how stupid is you, Pipsqueak Girl? Stupid Ninja is..."

"Pierre is a very cute boy," Azusa insisted, then pulled a small mallet out of somewhere and addressed it by name. "So, Marianne, we will have to punish her for daring to harm someone as cute as our darling Pierre."

With that, Azusa launched herself towards her opponent. The shorter girl was fast, but so was Shampoo and the Amazon also had strength and reach. Azusa swung several times, Shampoo only once. It was all she needed. With a shriek, the skater flew through the air, slammed into the concrete side of the culvert, and dropped to the ice, where she lay unmoving.

Shampoo cursed in anger. She'd focused so much on the little pest's mallet that she failed to block the one kick the girl threw. Blooded welled from a deep slash in Shampoo's thigh as she limped forward.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Ranma, no," Kodachi whispered with a voice full of pain and longing.

He didn't hear her and something tore inside.

"Please, Darling," the girl begged. "I'll accept a menage a trois."

He didn't look her way.

Kodachi remembered her audience. "A threesome, Ranma Darling. Please."

Ranma and Ukyou continued their kiss, oblivious to the gymnast. Kodachi fell to her knees, finally feeling the cold of the winter night through her sheer leotard. She didn't know she was crying.

"Please, Ranma...please notice me...somebody...anybody...please pay attention to me...please...cold...I'm so cold...please..." Her words faded into the night. The next time anyone looked the Black Rose was gone without even leaving her trademark scattering of rose petals.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Azusa's shriek broke their concentration. Ranma and Ukyou were prone on the ice, still tightly bound by Kodachi's ribbon.

"What's going on, Ucchan? I can't see anything with you on top of me."

"Kodachi's gone, I think."

"The others?"

Her face grew pale, but she didn't answer.

"Ucchan?"

She took a deep breath.

"It's bad." The words were inadequate. The ice was gouged and cratered from those attacks that missed, and several patches of blood stained its surface. Konatsu and Shampoo circled, looking for an opportunity. The Amazon was limping; the ninja's face was masked in blood.

"We have to stop them, Ranchan."

"We gotta cut this ribbon." He'd already tried to break it again.

"I can't reach my mini spatulas. Can you grab them?"

He could barely move his arms, but nothing he could touch felt remotely like a throwing spatula. A small amount of common sense kicked in and he stopped before he found anything too interesting.

"It's not gonna work, Ucchan. Let's try to stand up."

His words were given force by the repeated ringing of Shampoo's remaining bonbori against Konatsu's sword. Ranma and Ukyou had barely struggled to their knees when something thumped to the ice behind them.

"What was that, Ranchan?"

It looked like a madman had attempted to build a grayish spider the size of a minivan based on only a brief verbal description. None of the eight legs were the same size and the vaguely oval body was covered with mouths and eyes. The monster also had several arms and its limbs seemed to change in size as it moved. Every motion was accompanied by unpleasant cracking noises and agonized moans from some of the mouths. The others emitted a persistent mindless chuckling. As it shambled forward, puffs of steam rose wherever it touched the ice, leaving small hollows of slowly refreezing water.

"Another one of those things," he answered. Even an idiot could see that it was a Mamono.

Ukyou took a deep breath and began chanting. This time the words were easy, like she'd read them only moments before. "I hold no enmity against those coerced into evil, but to those vile beings who toy with the hearts and souls of men. We, since the time of Ancient Gods, have been your destroyers. Now, the 108th generation Devil Hunter, Ukyou, is here! Beware!"

There was a flash of glowing red light and Ranma and Ukyou spiraled through the air for a moment, then landed back on the ice. Ukyou now wore the crimson Mamono Hunter dress and her soul blade, the magical counterpart of her battle spatula, was strapped to her back. Kodachi's gymnastics ribbon had shredded away during the transformation. Ranma had the brief impression that a good deal more than that had shredded away, that for a fleeting moment the arms he wrapped around Ukyou touched the warm flesh of her back. He blushed at his imagination and hoped he wasn't becoming a pervert like Kuno.

An arm stretched out from the Mamono, extending to three times its normal length. This time the cracking noises and moaning that came from it were louder. Ranma pushed Ukyou out of the path of the monster's claws, then barely flung himself out of the way in time.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Shampoo and Konatsu remained focused on their own conflict, which had long since degenerated into one of the more vicious battles Nerima had seen. Both were limping. Crusted blood covered the side of the ninja's face. Fresher wounds marked Shampoo's leg, and several smaller cuts decorated her arms. The ice beneath them, no longer smooth or even, showed similar signs of damage.

"Ninja Girl better than Shampoo expect, but still going to die."

Konatsu didn't waste breath talking, but prepared for the Amazon's next move. As Shampoo charged, the ninja jumped back, though with less grace than usual. The Amazon's foot caught the edge of one of the countless craters she had smashed in the ice, and she fell forward, impaling herself on Konatsu's sword with a jarring thud. While the ninja stared in horror, Shampoo actually smiled.

"Not bad, Sneaky Ninja Girl, would make good Amazon warrior."

Shampoo's eyes fluttered shut and she fell to the ice, the sword still protruding from her stomach. Konatsu stared in horror at a blood coated arm. Then the ninja's vision blurred.

_That's not good. I'm hurt worse than I thought._

Konatsu turned towards Ukyou, seeking aid, but she and Ranma were busy battling a freakish thing.

_Is that a Mamono? Wait, I've still got Ukyou's letter from her grandmother. It better be about the Yoma ring. If it's a cookie recipe, we're all dead._

Konatsu pulled the letter out of a sleeve and tore it open.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

_Gotta give Ucchan time to do that magic stuff._

Ranma advanced towards the Mamono, but halted quickly. He felt an unnatural heat emanating from the creature, saw the slushy puddles left by the creature's shambling across the ice.

_Can't get too close. Sure can't touch it._

Not that the creature was letting him. Ranma leapt and spun, avoiding the monster's clawed limbs as they lashed out, changing size and shape at will. Every shift was accompanied by unpleasant cracking noises and low moans.

The boy flipped to the side, ducking under a twisted arm with far too many joints and planting one knee firmly in a pool of cooling slush. The monster paused, examining the girl Ranma had become with half a dozen mismatched eyes.

"Soo, yoouu chaange, too. Like 'aradachi," it burbled in a slurred voice, and more mindless chuckling emanated from the monster's mouths.

_Haradachi, that means anger._ A living embodiment of that emotion seemed the perfect target for the Hiryu Shouten Ha. Ranma circled, but the Mamono didn't follow. Even as he sought an inner calm, the Soul of Ice, the creature refused to be drawn into the spiral pattern needed to complete the technique. Instead, it advanced steadily towards Ukyou.

_Gotta do something. Moko Takabisha? Can't afford to take that chance; there might be someone in there. Kachu Tenshin Amaguriken? Shoulda though of that first. Just gotta move fast enough I don't get burned._

A glance showed him a way to improve that chance. Ranma snatched up a broken shard of ice in each hand and lunged toward the monster.

Ukyou had also considered the possibility of Haradachi possessing a human. When Ranma dodged to the side, she unleashed a storm of throwing spatulas, reversed so only the blunt ends struck the Mamono. They bounced off with a rubbery thud and clattered to the ice.

Unaffected, Haradachi continued to advance.

_I wish I knew how this stupid magic ring worked. _ Gosunkugi probably knew, but he was the most likely suspect in the theft of the rest of her grandmother's letter. Ukyou sighed and hefted the magical copy of her battle spatula.

"At least I know how this works."

She was about to charge forward to support her fiancé when Konatsu staggered into view. Color had drained from the ninja's blood-masked face, whose extended hand clutching a sheaf of computer printouts was bloody and trembling. Ukyou snatched the papers from Konatsu, who smiled and collapsed onto hands and knees.

"What is this? What happened?"

Ukyou scanned the battle area. More holes had opened in the ice from the combined effects of the pounding of Shampoo's maces and the heat emanating from the Mamono. A thin layer of water covered much of the remaining ice. Konatsu was conscious, but badly hurt and far too close to the damaged part of the ice. Some girl in a skater's outfit lay by the far wall of the culvert and appeared unconscious. Shampoo lay about halfway between, flat on her back, with a sword plainly embedded in her torso.

"Kami-sama, no. What happened? How could this have happened?"

Ukyou fought to keep dinner down even as she prayed the Amazon still lived. She wished that someone, anyone would show up and take the wounded to safety, but no one did. She looked back at the computer printouts, which were addressed to her. The girl frantically flipped through the pages, searching for the information she needed.

"There. Exorcism."

Words of power flowed from Ukyou's lips. Her left hand wove patterns in the air and the red stones of the Yoma ring left glowing trails of light behind it.

Ranma's hammering had gotten got enough of Haradachi's attention that the monster turned towards the boy. It charged, arms flailing, trying to force him into one of the holes in the ice. Ranma barely avoided the monster, slipping and splashing on the skates he hadn't mastered. The boy with the body of a girl was soaked from the waist down and from wrists to elbows. Even as the night air drained his energy, Ranma maintained an icy calmness, a deliberate determination that he would defeat this monster.

Ukyou started chanting and suddenly the noises the Mamono made shifted from their normal unpleasant chuckle to a high pitched moan. The thing stopped and convulsed, its limbs thrashing disjointedly. It stumbled, shuddered and pitched forward on the ice. Suddenly the moaning stopped, the creature convulsed violently, and with an unpleasant squelching sound expelled the naked and unconscious body of Tatewaki Kuno onto the ice.

Ranma eagerly summoned a ball of chi energy, ready to fry the monster.

"Wait, Ranchan, there's still somebody in there."

He growled in frustration, rushed forward, and began dragging the helpless upperclassman away from the thrashing creature.

"Kuno, if you wake up and glomp me I'm gonna leave you for this thing."

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Haradachi was in pain, but it was far from finished. It couldn't resist the Mamono Hunter's spell, but it had kept control of the strongest two it had absorbed. With unexpected speed, Haradachi rose and shambled towards the Mamono Hunter, seeking to kill her before she could deprive it of more strength.

Haradachi almost reached the girl when the red-haired changing one leaped on top of it. Steam rose from her sodden clothing as human hands blurred and struck the Mamono more times in the space of a few seconds than the creature believed any human capable of. It spun away trying and failing to pluck the human from its back.

Ukyou began the ritual again. She had sensed three life forces absorbed by the Mamono; now only two victims remained trapped. She didn't dare attempt a banishing before all were freed or she might seal some innocent person into the underworld along with the Mamono.

The second ritual proved as exhausting as the first. It didn't help Ukyou's concentration when the misshapen horror charged her again, Ranma still hammering at its back. It stumbled, lost its balance, and both it and Ranma went skidding across the ice spraying a wave of water as they slid.

Ukyou coughed and wiped water from her eyes. At least they had moved away from Shampoo. The Amazon was probably dead, but if water still triggered her Jusenkyou curse, their problems could get a whole lot worse.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Shampoo wasn't dead; she wasn't even unconscious. She lay there with her eyes closed, wondering how her life had become such a mess. She'd been happy back in China. There she was the best of the young warriors and loved the respect she received because of her skill. Now she was trapped by her own laws, just as trapped as Mousse was by the cage she had locked his cured form into earlier that evening.

The laws required her to kill any outsider female that defeated her or marry any outsider male that managed it. Ranma's curse made it impossible to fulfill both. Now Konatsu had defeated her, too. If Konatsu was a girl, she didn't want to kill a warrior who had earned her respect.

And if the stupid little skater was somehow right, if Konatsu was male, the Amazon laws required she marry both boys. But they also insisted Shampoo could have only one husband at a time, the strongest. They had never considered that an Amazon might be defeated by more than one outsider male.

Ranma would never spend the rest of his life at a tiny village in China, at least not willingly. That's why she gave up the first time. Even before her curse pushed him farther away, Shampoo knew she had failed. When Cologne forced her to return, they resorted to tricks, both magical and otherwise, and by using them they had admitted failure. Shampoo didn't want a drugged puppet as a husband. But the laws made no provision for the male being unwilling. They were written for a simple tribal life, not the complex world outside.

She missed the simple life she once had, where you could blindly follow the rules laid down and blindly trust they would answer every question you might have. Ironically, Mousse might be the Amazon who saw the most clearly for he wanted to change those laws even if it was only for his own selfish reasons.

Now the end was coming and that was simpler, too. If she didn't bleed to death, the sword would finish the job as soon as cold water touched her. Surprisingly, she couldn't see the faces of her mother and grandmother. Amazon tradition said your ancestors would appear at death to guide you to the spirit world.

_Maybe they were wrong about that, too._

Shampoo sighed sadly, her breath a faint and fading puff of whiteness. Death was the one enemy even the strongest warrior couldn't defeat and there was no dishonor in losing that battle. She just didn't expect death to be so slow about finishing the job.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

The Mamono had regained its feet and was circling in place, flailing its claws to keep Ranma at a distance again. If they didn't lead it away, the wounded and unconscious could end up dead or absorbed by the monster, even if the partially melted ice didn't begin breaking up.

_It's after me. Ranchan can distract it, but it's after me._

Ukyou let the second exorcism lapse uncompleted, then hesitated, deciding what to do with her Grandmother's letter.

_I miss having pockets._

She tucked the papers down the front of her dress, then ran directly towards the Mamono.

"Ucchan!"

She ignored Ranma's shout and sprang forward, flipping through the air, holding her battle spatula sideways for balance, ignoring the clawed arms that flowed upwards. The claws shredded both front and back panels of the skirt, leaving them a tattered fringe from mid-thigh downwards, but barely missed her legs. Ukyou landed on an unmelted section of the ice and began skating slowly away, daring the monster to follow.

"Ranchan, we have to keep it away from the others."

"You idiot, are you trying to get killed? You can't take this monster by yourself."

"I just need to keep it busy while you get help for the others."

Ranma hesitated, torn both ways. Ukyou was good, one of the better martial artists he'd seen. She should be able to keep ahead of the Mamono. But only if nothing went wrong. On the other hand, Konatsu and Shampoo needed immediate medical attention and Kuno would freeze to death if left exposed on the ice.

His moment of hesitation had serious consequences.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Haradachi had also paused in indecision.

_Is the Mamono Hunter fleeing?_

This battle was not going the way it planned. One after the other the anger faded from the combatants. These humans changed moods with bewildering speed.

_The tall naked one can not be reabsorbed yet. The tiny one is too far away. The dark-haired wounded one is full of sorrow now. The annoying red-haired changing one can manipulate its chi, making it difficult to feed on. That leaves one. Her anger has faded, but there's enough left to use._

Haradachi strained, extending a limb even farther than normal, grabbing the girl's ankle and pulling her forward. Haradachi burbled happily; it seemed the red-haired changing one was not **that** good at the controlling of emotions.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Ranma, you have to help Ukyou," the ninja whispered. "We'll be fine,"

"Konatsu, you can't even stand."

"She needs you, not me, Ranma." Even Ranma noticed the bitterness in Konatsu's voice. "Go, help her. I'll take care of the others."

Their debate gave the Mamono the time it required. At first, Shampoo made no noise as Haradachi dragged her towards itself, but she quickly slid into a section of melted ice. The Jusenkyou curse triggered and an agonized human shriek warped into a feline howl. A blood-slick sword, no longer trapped in flesh, clattered to the ice. A small waterlogged cat lay in a spreading pool of darkness.

The Mamono's claws retracted and its arm reverted to its normal length. Ranma turned pale as ice and Konatsu knew the time for hesitation was past.

"Go. Now. Help Ukyou." Konatsu emphasized the words by shoving Ranma backwards. Ranma went skidding past the Mamono, barely staying upright on her skates.

Konatsu had already turned away. _Kami-sama, they're my only friends, but I'd just hold them back. I have to trust them, it's our only chance to make it out of here._

By force of will, the ninja stood and wobbled towards the mangled cat. "I'm sorry." Konatsu knelt, tearing away a robe sleeve and shredding it, gently wrapping the girl in the improvised bandages, then tucking her inside the self-same robe. Shampoo felt like a sopping ball of ice.

Konatsu hobbled towards Kuno's unconscious body and tried to lift him, but it was too much. Grabbing an ankle, the ninja tugged.

_At least I can still drag him. Now all I have to do is scale the wall of the culvert and find help._

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Ranchan, are you alright?"

"No," the short redhead whispered. Ranma would have vehemently denied there were tears on her cheeks, but Ukyou saw them glistening in the moonlight.

"I ain't quitting, Ucchan, but I'm not alright either. We gotta finish this thing before it does any more damage."

The two kept skating, slowly drawing the Mamono away from the others.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Many people claimed Ranma had the thickest skull in Nerima. Others thought Kuno was the obvious choice. Ranma might have nominated Akane for her repeated failure to identify who her pet P-chan really was. If they were speaking literally, the correct choice was Ryouga, but Azusa was a close second.

The excessively cute skater sat up, wondering where everyone had gone. "Owie, that hurt," she complained, but no one replied. She stood and looked around. There were two sets of skate tracks leading away as well as the melted footprints of the Mamono.

She glanced left, then right. "Pierre? Which way did you go?"

There was still no answer, just the faint whisper of the wind.

"Darling Pierre, wait for me. Let me help you fight that icky monster."

Azusa could also be one of the densest people in Nerima.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Kasumi sat on the edge of the hospital bed. Her foot still stung from the disinfectant, but Tofu was gently wrapping it in bandages.

"There, I'm done." He sounded weary, as if he'd walked a thousand miles that night. "I guess I really am useless. I couldn't do anything tonight."

"It's alright, I didn't even notice I'd cut myself until I tried to stand." She blushed, remembering how Tofu had caught her. "It's...well, it's not your fault. I know you did everything you could; I know everyone did."

"But it wasn't enough."

"It wasn't enough for my mother when I was nine. Now I'm twenty, but it wasn't enough again. But that isn't anyone's fault."

"How can you be so calm?"

"Maybe I'm just numb. Maybe I still haven't accepted it yet. Grief is a funny thing, and we all have our own ways of dealing or not dealing with it." Her expression shifted from sad to serious. "But don't you dare go blaming yourself. You're a good man, the best I know."

"Thank you, Kasumi."

She sighed. "Have they been able to call the house?"

"No, it's still busy."

"It's probably better to tell Father and Akane in person. Not that it will be easy."

"I'll call a cab for you."

"Thank you, Tofu."

"And I'm coming with you."

"Thank you. I...I don't want to be alone, not now."

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

"How long have we been skating?"

"I dunno, Ucchan. Not sure we're even in Nerima anymore.

"We're far enough from the others."

Ranma closed with the monster again, striking it repeatedly, arms and legs blurring into a furious medley of blows.

Ain't gonna give it time. Ain't gonna let it hurt Ucchan. Ain't gonna let it hurt anyone else.

He heard her chanting, knew it was another exorcism, another chance to save people trapped by the monster of rage. The chant ended and a crimson nimbus of light enveloped the creature. The Mamono began writhing again, its body bucking and leaping in pain. Ice, already weakened by the creature's heat, starred and cracked.

It slumped twitching to the ice, its surface convulsing, and a human head began slowly emerging from the prison of flesh.

"Ryouga?"

Somehow, the Lost Boy had retained his trademark bandana. His shoulders and arms were next to emerge, and Ranma darted forward, grasping an arm.

"Let me go!" Ryouga shouted. "She's still in there." Ryouga twisted, pulling free from Ranma's grasp, fighting both the spell and the Mamono's grip. The Lost Boy plunged both hands back into the creature's writhing surface, his muscles strained against the monster's flailing flesh.

"Ryouga, you idiot!"

Slowly, steadily, the Mamono was reabsorbing him. For a moment, it appeared the Lost Boy would lose, but he tore his arms free from the creature again. First a head and then a torso began to emerge from the contorting body of the Mamono. Haradachi howled like a thousand storms, there was an unpleasant wet tearing noise, and Ryouga and Akane's bodies flopped onto the ice.

Ryouga's eyes grew extremely large. He lay atop an unconscious Akane in a very compromising position. The fact that neither one wore a stitch of clothing only made it worse. Before Ryouga could faint, Ukyou called out.

"Get Akane out of here. You have to save her from the monster."

Ryouga nodded, gently picked up Akane, and jumped completely over the fence bordering the culvert, landing in the street beyond, and disappearing down the road.

Ranma looked back. Ukyou was barely standing, trembling with fatigue.

"Did I get the thing, Ranchan?"

"I guess so. It's gone now."

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Kasumi leaned against his side in the back of the taxi. Under normal circumstances, Tofu would have been incoherent. The streets were largely empty, and the night was still. Even the cabbie was quiet, but that changed suddenly.

The taxi swerved sharply to the right, narrowly missing someone who had staggered into its path. For a moment it seemed the driver would lose control, but he brought the cab to a sliding stop while cursing loudly about stupid drunks trying to get themselves killed.

"That's no drunk," Tofu insisted.

"Who is it?" Kasumi asked.

"It's hard to tell with all that blood, but I think it's Konatsu."

"Who?"

"A waitress at Ukyou's restaurant."

Tofu flung the door open.

"Please..." was all Konatsu managed before collapsing.

Tofu started to move to the waitress' side, then saw she had dropped someone behind her. Tatewaki Kuno was both unconscious and quite naked.

"Oh my," Kasumi exclaimed. "I knew Kuno was chasing Akane and Ranma, but now he's become an exhibitionist and is chasing this poor girl, too."

"That's not what happened." Tofu pointed to the tracks in the snow. "She's been carrying or dragging the boy for who knows how long." Tofu turned to the cabbie. "We're going back to the hospital."

"Is everybody going to fit?" the cabbie asked. "And why's that boy running around naked in this weather? Just what happened?"

"Kuno can't answer while he's unconscious," Tofu replied. "Konatsu, what happened?"

"Ukyou," the ninja mumbled. "Ranma. Shampoo, oh, Shampoo." There was no sign of anyone Konatsu had named, but Tofu noticed a darkness beneath Konatsu's crimson ninja jumpsuit.

"She's a cat." Tofu stared at the sodden lump of bloodstained bandages. "We have to go to my clinic," Tofu declared, gently maneuvering Konatsu towards the open car door.

"What about a hospital?" the cabbie replied.

"No time." Miraculously, Shampoo still had a faint heartbeat, but she'd never make it to the hospital. She'd be lucky to make it to the clinic. Tofu pressed a point by the base of Shampoo's ear, then another at the small of her back. On a human, the pressure points would slow bodily functions, giving more time before those systems began to fail. He had no idea if it would work on Shampoo's cursed form.

"What's your name?" Tofu asked the cabby.

"Wakamura."

"Help me get the boy, Kuno, inside the car. And I'll need you to help him into my clinic. Kasumi, you remember those medical books you borrowed?"

"Yes."

"Kuno might have hypothermia and frostbite." Tofu pressed a pair of points on the boy's back. "But that should help." He didn't take time to explain what pressure points were or how it could help. "This girl, Konatsu, has a head injury. Everything else doesn't seem as bad. Sorry to leave you with two patients, but I'm..."

"But you're going to save Shampoo."

"I'm going to try."

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Haradachi longed for the angry ones it had absorbed. It had been pleasant to have their voices murmuring in the background, but now it was alone again. The creature's form flowed, reverting to its usual appearance, a bizarre mix of the features of an octopus and a huge crayfish. It needed only a moment of concentration to melt a hole through the ice and plunge into the water below.

Haradachi did not like the cold, but it still had enough energy to almost boil the water surrounding it.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Mr. Wakamura, please put Kuno on the cot there, and cover him with blankets." The cabbie nodded at Kasumi's command, while she headed for Tofu's kitchen.

"We need warm water. Konatsu, come with me." The ninja followed, making feeble offers of help. Kasumi turned on every burner on the stove, then rummaged through the cupboards, finally finding a pot or pan for each burner.

"What now, Miss?" the cabbie asked.

"Find some towels. Dip them in warm water. Check Kuno's fingers and toes. And his nose. If they've turned white, wrap them in the warm towels."

"Shouldn't I rub them?"

"No. And make sure he's covered in plenty of blankets."

The cabbie disappeared again, while Kasumi prayed she hadn't forgotten something. Checking the water, she called Konatsu over.

"Just sit right there, dear, and we'll get you all cleaned up."

Konatsu almost collapsed into the chair, as Kasumi began to wipe the blood away from the ninja's face.

"Don't worry, dear, head injuries always bleed a lot. And it seems to be up by the hairline, so even if there is a scar, it won't ruin a pretty face like yours." Kasumi was more worried about a concussion, but she smiled and continued murmuring encouragement.

Tofu stepped into the kitchen doorway and motioned to Kasumi. "How is she" he whispered, glancing at the ninja slumped in the chair.

"I'm worried about the head injury," Kasumi whispered back.

"You can't let her sleep, Kasumi. Otherwise..."

"I know. You can tell if an awake person has suddenly fallen unconscious. But if they're already asleep, that could hide a serious injury. How is Shampoo?"

"The cold and the bandages slowed the bleeding. I touched...I hope pressure points are the same on a cat as they are on a girl. Things to slow the bleeding even more, to deaden pain, to give her a chance."

"It will be alright," Kasumi spoke firmly. "You always try your hardest and I know you will for Shampoo, too."

"Will it be enough?" he whispered hoarsely. "I've got to get her sewn up. If she even survives the transformation back to human form... She needs a hospital, not my limited facilities. I've already lost one..."

"I trust you."

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Ukyou slumped to her knees, exhausted.

_Its gotta be easier to run five miles than cast a spell using this stupid Yoma ring. Maybe I'm not doing it right. I didn't get much chance to read Grandma's notes._

The ice was biting cold on her bare legs.

_I am definitely gonna learn how to summon pants for this stupid outfit._

The only trace of the Mamono was a large, irregular hole in the ice.

Ranma skated near. "I think we scared it off. Hey, you look kinda tired, Ucchan."

"Yeah."

The ice shattered below her and several ropy blue-gray tentacles yanked Ukyou beneath the surface. As Ranma stared at the dark water, he swore he could still hear the Mamono's mindless chuckling.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Kasumi had learned a respectable amount of medical knowledge from the books that she borrowed from Dr. Tofu, but she lacked practical experience. Kuno seemed to be sleeping peacefully and an examination of his extremities revealed no signs of frostbite.

Most of Konatsu's injuries did not need immediate attention and Kasumi cleaned and bandaged the rest. But she needed to keep the ninja conscious and the best way to do that was by talking to her. Kasumi was in no mood to talk, not after everything else that had happened, but she was used to suppressing her desires for the sake of others. But she didn't need to say much as Konatsu's feelings came spilling out.

"...and then...oh then...I...I won't ever use a sword again. It's my fault...it's all my fault...she's dying."

"You don't know that, dear." Kasumi tried to be soothing, but even with her experience in distracting people from their troubles, she didn't know what words to use. "What about Ukyou and Ranma? You mentioned them before. Where are they now?"

Somehow, Konatsu looked even more depressed. "Gone," the ninja whispered.

Kasumi paused, uncertain of how to reply. "Gone where?"

"Fighting the monster. They should have been back by now. But they're gone." Then it was like a dam broke, and words came rushing out - loss of a mother, then a father, childhood as a near slave of the Kenzan clan, mockery and mistreatment, then a sudden glimpse of hope, an escape to freedom. The ninja mentioned Akane, but Ranma and Ukyou loomed larger in Konatsu's tale, their virtues magnified, their flaws forgotten. Konatsu clearly would do anything for them, had feelings towards them of a frightening intensity.

"Konatsu, they're still human, with human faults. They helped free you, but you sound like you're re-enslaving yourself to them. Love them, yes, but be your own person. Find what you want to do with your life, and do it. The people that care about you will understand."

Awkward silence followed.

"Physician heal thyself," Kasumi murmured.

"What?"

"Maybe I've fallen into a quiet trap of my own. How long since anything has changed, since I tried to change anything?"

"What do you mean?"

"Perhaps we're more alike than I thought."

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

He wanted to scream her name, but that wouldn't help. Flinging his coat aside, he dove into the frigid water. He ignored the shock of the bitter cold. He ignored the way that cold clamped his chest like a vise, trying to force the air from his lungs. He ignored the rushing sound in his ears. He wasn't going to quit. He was Ranma Saotome and he never, ever quit.

He swam into the darkness, hunting for any trace of the missing girl or the monstrosity that had seized her.

_There!_ The end of the folded computer printouts Ukyou had carried. Ranma swam along the trail that they left, expecting them to end with Ukyou.

_Nothing! Where is she? The canal isn't that deep!_

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

She felt an unexpected calmness, like ice water in her veins.

_Sorry, Ranchan. I knew it was too good to last. I'll miss you._

The tentacles encircling her were squeezing the air from her lungs while drawing her towards the Mamono. The monster's surface twitched and a fanged maw appeared where none had been before. Yet even if it had mysteriously melted away, the weight of her skates and her spatulas would still pull her toward the bottom.

Ukyou slipped one arm free of the creature's grasp, then the other, drew her hand spatulas and began hacking at the enfolding tentacles. After several tries, she dislodged one, but another took its place. Ukyou dropped her current weapons and reached for her battle spatula. Another tentacle wrapped around her right arm, pinning it above her head.

Ukyou let the last of the air bubble from her lungs and used her left hand to begin the gestures needed to banish the Mamono to the underworld. Unfortunately, it would probably pull her through with it. She hoped the ritual would still work even when she couldn't speak. She didn't think anyone else could stop this thing.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Kasumi was crying now.

"...when mother died. Nabiki put on the best front, but I think she took it the worst. I was worried because Akane kept fighting it. I still am; she's still too eager to fight back. But Nabiki never fought it at all. She didn't get angry, she didn't cry, she wrapped herself in a protective shell where no one could reach her, no one could touch her, no one could hurt her. She looked strong, but inside she was hollow, cold, empty. She pretended that she cared about nothing, until she wasn't pretending, until she didn't care about anyone, not even herself anymore."

"We lost her body tonight, but maybe we really lost her soul years ago. Nabiki...Nabiki quit caring, caring about anything, anyone. Occasional hints would peek out, signs that maybe she still cared a little about the rest of us, but then they were gone again."

"She still had that brilliant mind of hers, but she wasted it on petty games, petty cruelties, against people who couldn't or wouldn't fight back. She could have been going to Tokyo University next year, but she didn't even try, she didn't care about herself, her future. Maybe that's why she couldn't fight it, couldn't fight what happened."

"Why didn't I see it before. I'm the oldest. I was supposed to protect them, I had to protect them after mother...after she couldn't anymore. I should have seen it. I should have done something."

Konatsu couldn't find a reply, but produced a miraculously clean handkerchief from somewhere and passed it to Kasumi.

"I'm sorry, mother," Kasumi whispered. "I failed you again."

"No, Lady Kasumi, you can't do everything. No one can. Should I blame myself because I'm too injured to help Ranma and Ukyou?" Yet it was obvious Konatsu did.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

The ritual was working. It shouldn't have, but it was. A glowing circle of crimson had formed; Haradachi was being drawn struggling into the underworld. But the Mamono clung doggedly to Ukyou, determined to take her there, too.

_If I wasn't so tired. If I had any strength left._

Then the enfolding tentacles snapped like rubber bands stretched past their limits. Her vision faded, but she saw Ranma, soulblade in hand. More tentacles erupted from the Mamono, seeking them.

_How? I thought no one else could wield my soulblade? It's supposed to be impossible._

But Ranma was an expert in doing the impossible. Ukyou smiled as everything faded from gray to black.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Tofu slumped wearily into a chair. He didn't know how much time had passed, wasn't certain if he'd succeeded or failed. At lot still depended on Shampoo. It was humbling to have to admit his own limitations twice in the same night, but there was only so much any doctor could do. Some wounds to the body or spirit were simply beyond healing.

He knew he should go see how Kasumi and his other patients were doing, but his arms, his head, his eyelids seemed so heavy. He never rose from the chair, but drifted quickly into slumber.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

For the hundred thousandth time, Ranma cursed his female form. If the cold water hadn't robbed him of his manhood, he would've had the strength to get Ukyou to the surface sooner and it would've taken only one try to haul her out of the water.

Now Ranma's closest friend lay on the ice, unconscious and unbreathing. A voice inside him nagged that he had kissed her a bit too enthusiastically to merely call her a friend.

He hoped he remembered how to do this right, alternating breathing into Ukyou's lungs and then compressing her chest. After several eternities, Ukyou coughed up a large quantity of water and resumed breathing on her own.

It was Ukyou's turn to be lying flat on her back staring up at Ranma's face haloed by the moon. She smiled weakly, then pressed two fingers to her lips and gently touched Ranma's with them.

"Crimson Attack," she murmured softly.


	4. Ikari Part 1

Mamono Hunter Ukyou Chapter 3

Ikari: Roots of Hatred

Part 1

By Edward A. Simons

Based on characters and situations created by Takahashi Rumiko. Ranma 1/2 and characters copyright Shogakukan, Kitty Animation Circle, and Takahashi Rumiko. Devil Hunter Yohko and characters copyright NCS, Toho Company, LTD., and Mad House. This story revised 2004 by Edward Simons.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Everyone is a moon, and has a dark side which he never shows to anybody."

Mark Twain

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Ryouga slowed from his panic-stricken run and wondered where he could be. Of course, anyone nicknamed 'The Lost Boy' spent a lot of time wondering where he was. Considering he'd just been in Nerima it could be anywhere from Hokkaido to Okinawa.

_Trees, lots of them. I wonder what forest. It seems familiar._

But a lot of places seemed familiar to the boy. The moon was full, though only traces of it filtered through the trees, coating everything in bands of silver and black. It was warm, surprisingly so, considering how bitterly cold it had been back in Nerima.

Ryouga shivered at even the memory, then glanced down at the unconscious girl he cradled in his arms. When they had escaped from Haradachi, the Mamono which had absorbed them, neither he nor Akane were wearing any clothing. They still weren't, which is why Ryouga's eyes rolled back in his head and he fainted.

And that's why he didn't see the flying squirrel the size of a small airplane soar over their heads.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Tofu woke with a start and cursed himself for falling asleep. He rushed to the bed where Shampoo lay, but his patient had disappeared. The gravely injured Amazon couldn't have gotten up and walked off. Tofu took a deep breath and attempted to relax. Panic wouldn't solve anything.

He sensed someone behind him and turned to see a sleepy-looking Kasumi.

"I called the hospital once you got Shampoo's condition stabilized. You were asleep when they arrived." Kasumi yawned. "They also took Konatsu and Kuno there for observation. I thought it would be best to let you rest."

"So why did you stay?"

She gave him a faint smile, and for the moment Tofu felt like a foolish child. "It's not a good night to be alone. I didn't want you to wake up to find the place empty with no explanation. Besides..." She glanced down at her bandaged foot.

"You actually followed the Doctor's orders and tried to stay off that injured foot. It's about time someone started doing that." The thought brought the trace of a smile to his face. "I suppose I should go wake Ranma and have him accompany you home."

There was a moment of silence; then Tofu's shoulders sagged. "So much for peace and quiet. Now that I've blabbed it to one person , the rest of Nerima should invade by the weekend."

"Don't worry, I already knew." Kasumi's smile grew larger and somewhat impish...

Tofu felt his brain starting to melt down like it usually did when he saw Kasumi. He fought to maintain control and succeeded for the moment. "Tha...that's...umm...good...yes, good..." He laughed nervously. "So let's...umm...go get...ah...Ranma...and get you...ah...home."

"Ranma's not here."

"What?" Tofu glanced at his watch. "Still? Where are they?"

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Ranma sneezed and hoped he wasn't coming down with anything.

"C'mon, Ucchan. We gotta keep moving. It's not much farther."

But he wasn't sure it was close enough for Ukyou. She couldn't stop shivering and seemed disoriented. Ranma had learned enough from Dr. Tofu to know his fiancée was suffering from hypothermia. In simple terms, she was freezing to death. Ranma didn't feel very good either, but he had been more warmly dressed than Ukyou and hadn't exhausted himself casting spells. He hadn't nearly drowned either.

"Ranchan, your coat..." she mumbled and tried to pull it off again. Ranma had taken a moment to remove it before diving into the icy river after her. That meant it was damp, instead of thoroughly soaked like every other piece of clothing they wore.

"No, Ucchan, keep the coat. I'm okay, really."

_She must be really bad off to keep trying to give it to me. _After all, Ranma knew he was tough._ I'm a guy. Well, I'm usually a guy. It's not my fault I got soaked._

"Wait, not that way." He moved to block the half-frozen girl from wandering down the wrong street again.

_I don't wanna do this, Ucchan's probably gonna kill me later, but we gotta get somewhere warm and dry and we gotta do it now._

If Ranma wasn't half frozen himself, he might have been thinking clearly enough to simply use a pay phone.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

"They were doing what!" Dr. Tofu was wide awake now.

"Remember, Konatsu said they were fighting some sort of monster, a Mamono I think he called it. Ranma and Ukyou drew it away from the others so they could escape."

Tofu grabbed his coat and rushed towards the door. He stopped abruptly and the coat fell out of fingers suddenly gone limp.

"Ranma is probably the best of the younger martial artists. I don't know how good Ukyou is. But they haven't come back..." That implied they probably weren't coming back. Dr. Tofu, the man so many people came to with questions, had no answers. He turned and saw that Kasumi shared his fears.

"They may only be injured like Shampoo or Konatsu," she suggested, the winced at her own example.

"Only? After this long, that's the same as if the monster won."

"They're strong," Kasumi insisted. "And Ranma doesn't quit."

"What about Ukyou?"

"She's been chasing Ranma for ten years; I don't think she's the type to give up, either. But even if I'm wrong, we have to find them or at least try." She limped over and grabbed her coat. "Am I going to have to search by myself?"

"You shouldn't go at all. It could be dangerous and you're still injured."

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

_The contrast is so appropriate. It's warm and beautiful here in my greenhouse. I'm surrounded by life. Outside, it's cold and dark and lonely. This is the only place that matters now. I'll never leave here again._

Kodachi had been a quiet child; the one that everyone ignored and she hated being ignored. She had determined that people would notice her and did whatever it took to get their attention. But no matter what she did, it was never enough.

_Father retreats further into the madness that plagues him. Tatewaki is so focused on his desperate search for love; he doesn't seem to realize his only sister is dying for lack of it. Ranma is the only boy who treats me with kindness._

Once Kodachi had deluded herself that she could make the boy love her. Now there were no tears on her face. She was past that. An image repeated itself seductively in her mind. A simple flick of her gymnastics ribbon would smash one of the panes of glass in the greenhouse ceiling and wrap securely around the frame. Then she simply needed to leap and she'd be suspended forever between earth and sky, swinging gently back and forth like a broken angel.

_But when they find me, they'll bury me in the cold wet ground instead of leaving me alone and by then my plants would have died from the winter's chill._

She couldn't bear to do that to the only things that were still her friends.

_What?_

Kodachi stared at a needle-like thorn sticking from the back of her hand.

_I didn't feel a thing. I still don't._ Her thoughts felt fuzzy, almost dreamlike. _Odd that I don't recognize it, I know every plant in the greenhouse._

They were her friends, the ones who helped her make the powders and potions that gave her the confidence she needed. She felt tired, so very tired. Time seemed to slow and she smiled.

_Perhaps the thorn made my decision for me._

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

A gnarled hand yanked the frantically struggling duck free of the cage. Hot water poured over the bird and a slender longhaired boy stood in the main room of the Neko Hanten.

"Mousse, get your clothes on and go find Shampoo. She should have returned hours ago."

Cologne displayed no signs of worry on her face or in her voice, but sending Mousse was ample proof of her concern for her great-granddaughter. The white-robed boy ran into the winter night, leaving her alone in the restaurant. Something was wrong, Cologne could feel it in her ancient bones. A tired old woman sat down to brew some tea and wait.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

_Ryugenzawa, that's where we have to be._ Akane ducked behind a tree as a two-story-tall fringed lizard thundered past. Soon the sun would rise and burn away the fog. Then it would be a lot easier to find her way around.

She didn't know how she and Ryouga ended up in the forest of Ryugenzawa or what had happened to their clothing.

_This must be some perverted joke by that idiot Ranma. At least some weirdo isn't kidnapping me again._

Akane hefted Ryouga's unconscious body and prepared to move to the next clump of trees. Not getting trampled by the local wildlife was challenging and Ryouga's well-muscled body was extremely heavy.

Akane's expression softened for a moment. Ryouga was the strongest person she knew, but something seemed to be seriously wrong. Every time he regained consciousness, he stammered her name and fainted.

It wouldn't be long now and she'd get the poor guy to one of the springs that held the Water of Life. She just needed to splash him with some of that water, then he'd be alright.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

It took a moment for Ukyou's eyes to adjust to the darkness. The room's furnishings looked expensive, but somewhat garish. She let out a hiss as she realized she lay on a bed in what people euphemistically called a love hotel. Ranma's and her damp clothing hung in the corner drying.

Ukyou relaxed a little when she realized she was wrapped in Ranma's coat as well as most of the bedding, though she did blush. The Mamono Hunter outfit consisted of shoes, a dress, ankle and wristbands, and underpants. The only item on the list that she still wore was the last.

Soft sounds of breathing came from the bed beside her, where the again male Ranma lay wrapped in the sole remaining blanket. Ukyou smiled and reached out to softly touch his cheek with the back of her hand.

The cliche would be 'cold as ice', but she knew from recent experience Ranma wasn't quite that cold. She snuggled against his back and wrapped the covers over both of them. He was too cold for it to be comfortable, but somehow it felt right. It didn't take long for the exhausted girl to slip back into sleep.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

A slender form lay groaning on the hospital. Konatsu rolled to the side and tried to throw up again, but there was nothing left to expel, and the pain was even greater now because of that. Konatsu gulped and tried to reassure the nurses it was unrelated to the ninja's head injury, but they acted skeptical and very worried.

A completely different injury had caused the stomach problems.

_It's my fault Shampoo was maimed. It's my fault if she dies._

Another spasm of dry heaves shook the ninja's body.

_It felt like a different person, the way the anger came come bubbling out in that fight. Maybe the Mamono did something to me. I hope it was an accident, the way Shampoo got skewered on my sword._

But Konatsu wasn't sure anymore.

_I could...it would be easy to blame the Mamono, but even if it did influence my emotions, it's still my fault. The monster didn't create the anger, it was already there, burning inside._

_The world stole my parents and I was so angry. Then my step-mother and step-sisters manipulated and controlled me and I hid that anger behind a mask of girlish cheerfulness._

_Even I thought the anger was gone, that the mask had become my true face, but it was still there smoldering, waiting to burst back into flame. Now I've done something terrible and I don't know which is worse, that I might do it again or that I might come to enjoy the power it brings._

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

The first rays of the sun had started to peer over the horizon as a taxi approached the Tendo home, then pulled to a stop. The door opened and a man rushed around to the other side and opened the door for his companion. She reached out a hand and he pulled her to her feet. The woman leaned against him briefly as she retrieved a pair for crutches from the back of the taxi, then turned to face him.

"Thank you, Tofu."

"I suppose I'll go back to my clinic, then."

"No, you're going to stay," Kasumi insisted. "You need something to eat, and I...I need you there when I tell father what happened...what happened tonight."

He protested briefly, but none too vigorously. They paid the cabbie and moved slowly towards the house.

No one greeted them at the door. They dropped their shoes in the entryway and Kasumi advanced toward the kitchen, her place of refuge. Tofu stepped into the hallway, intending to follow, but he was tired, so very tired. He leaned against the wall, then slid down to sit on the floor. Through the kitchen doorway, he saw Kasumi bustling about as best she could. To his left was an end table with a telephone on it and wooden sign leaning against it.

After a few moments, he was startled by Kasumi calling his name. Tofu blinked. He'd been staring blankly at the things in front of him. Stress and sleep deprivation didn't make for very clear thinking.

Tofu glanced at the sign. "Tendo and I have gone searching for the girls." It meant nothing to him at the moment. He picked up the telephone receiver.

No one answered at his clinic. Ranma hadn't returned.

No one answered at Ukyou's restaurant.

He called the hospital. Miss Hinako seemed about the same. They were still concerned about Konatsu and especially Shampoo. Kuno seemed fine. He was awake, complaining loudly about the loss of his sword and his clothing. They sounded eager to release the boy.

"Do you know a Mr. Tendo?"

Tofu stared at the phone in confusion.

"Hello? Are you still there, Doctor?"

"Yes."

"Do you know a Mr. Tendo?"

"Yes. Why? Is he alright?"

"Mr. Tendo and his pet panda arrived at the hospital a couple hours ago. We informed him about his daughter and he fainted. When he woke up, he was, well he was hysterical, yelling and crying at the same time and blaming it all on someone named Ranma. It took quite a bit of effort to restrain Mr. Tendo, but we've got him under heavy sedation now."

"I see. What about his panda?"

"It curled up next to his bed and seems to be taking a nap."

"I don't think you want to disturb it."

"I'm sure we don't.

"Tofu?" Kasumi was kneeling beside him.

"Sorry, just checking on what's left of my patients." It took him a moment to realize how that might sound to Kasumi. He looked up to see tears forming and expected her to order him out of the house, but instead she buried her head against his chest and began sobbing.

Breakfast was a blackened ruin by the time either remembered it.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Mousse hadn't slept. He'd spent hours tracing a path that led nowhere, at least nowhere he wanted to go. His face held the empty expression of a porcelain doll, but he was as churned and broken inside emotionally as Shampoo was physically. After visiting Ukyou's empty restaurant, the Tendo's empty house, and Tofu's empty clinic, worry had finally led him to the hospital.

_I **will** find the person who did this to Shampoo._

He hoped he would maintain enough self-control that Shampoo's attacker would live to regret it. The master of hidden weapons smiled sadistically. The dead could no longer suffer and he intended to ensure that whoever had hurt Shampoo suffered for a long, long time.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

"You...you...you...animal!"

A very damp P-chan stared forlornly at the ground.

"I trusted you! I thought you were a nice guy!"

The little pig appeared to be crying. Akane uttered a shriek of rage and summoned her hammer. It curved downward towards the helpless P-chan.

He made absolutely no attempt to dodge. Akane buried the hammer in the ground up to the hilt, then fell to her knees sobbing.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

"It took you long enough to return, Mousse, yet you haven't found my great-granddaughter."

The boy shook his head sullenly.

"Have you found Ranma? Ukyou? Kodachi?"

Three more times Mousse shook his head without speaking a word.

"So you've gone mute as well as blind. You really are useless."

The boy nodded. He was obviously concealing something, but in this mood, Cologne would be unlikely to find out what without permanently damaging him. She was tempted to risk it.

"No matter, Shampoo can take care of herself. No doubt she and her Airen are keeping each other entertained."

Mousse smiled but there was no trace of joy in it.

"Then Ranma is still with Ukyou?"

Mousse shrugged. He neither knew nor cared.

"She was supposed to be meeting Kodachi. The girl is a treacherous one, but even a fool like you should be able to deal with her. You will go to her house and find out if she knows anything."

Mousse nodded reluctantly and left.

Cologne resolved to beat some manners into the insolent male once he was no longer useful.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Ooh, little Azusa's head hurts."

That wasn't very surprising considering she'd involuntarily headbutted a concrete wall the previous night. Of course, none of the cute things in her collection answered, but Azusa enjoyed talking to them.

"Lookie what came in the mail. We have a present from Auntie Madoka." It wasn't as frilly as Azusa liked, but she enjoyed naming the bow and the wrapping paper and adding them to her collection.

The strange metallic bracelet inside the box was quickly dubbed Babette.

"Oh, look everyone, there's something else in here."

Azusa didn't know what a 'Mamono Hunter Starter Kit' was, but it didn't look very cute.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Ranma woke to the protestations of stiff and sore muscles. Blearily, he noticed a set of arms wrapped around him and a warm body pressed against his back.

_Guess Ucchan ain't gonna kill me over this._

Ranma brought two fingers to his lips in an unconscious echo of Ukyou's gesture the night before. Her hand had been trembling and her words were a feeble whisper, but there was something in her eyes.

_Why didn't I see that before?_

The boy sighed as he recalled their stumbling trip to the love hotel. He wasn't sure anyone would let them in. Most love hotels wouldn't let a pair of girls in. And they probably thought Ukyou was drunk so this wasn't the most high class of places. At least a place like this was anonymous.

_Wait a minute!_

Ranma's eyes snapped fully open and his heart began pounding as he truly realized his situation. The coat he'd given to Ukyou was only wrapped around her, never buttoned, and it certainly wasn't closed now. Suddenly his mouth was dry, yet he was sweating, as he felt her warm body pressed tightly against his bare back. Her arms were wrapped across his chest and any movement might wake her.

"Ucch..."

_No, do **not** wake her up. Bad idea, bad idea,_ he cursed himself.

Slowly, gingerly, Ranma lifted Ukyou's arm and eased out of her grasp. She moaned his name once, but she didn't wake. He risked a glance back, ensuring the blankets covered the girl. Ranma bowed his head and exhaled deeply.

_I ain't gonna let my body decide._

He glanced back at the bed.

"Sorry, Ucchan, you weren't trying to..." His voice faded and slowly his pulse and breathing returned to normal.

Standing near the foot of the bed, he began a series of katas. It didn't take long to work the stiffness out of his muscles and then he started pushing himself, going through the complex movements as rapidly as possible.

After a brief pause to catch his breath, Ranma switched his pace completely. Now he began a series of high kicks, moving almost in slow motion. With one foot planted firmly on the floor, Ranma inched his other leg upwards till it was well over his head. In this exercise, his goals were balance and endurance and, most of all, control.

Eventually Ranma finished his morning warm-up and sat down. For once, he had time to think and he wasn't used to that. He seldom had free time and he usually saved his thinking for combat.

Ranma gazed at his sleeping fiancée again.

_She really is cute. Of course, all the girls after me are cute. Even Akane when she isn't angry._

But it seemed like Akane was always angry and sometimes it was actually his fault.

_I don't know why. Maybe she hates me._

He wasn't sure about that, but Akane was the hardest one of the bunch to understand. Kodachi's intentions were clear, if more than a little frightening. Ukyou's feelings were also clear, one of the few certainties in his life. Shampoo...

_Aw, no._

He'd been trying not to think of Shampoo, of a torn body and a spreading stain of red on the ice. To him death was something that only happened to old people and his mind flinched away from the idea that someone he liked, someone he cared about, might be gone. He told himself that he couldn't change anything that had happened. He told himself that it wasn't his fault.

_Shampoo's tough, she's gonna make it. Please Kami-sama, she's gonna make it._

Ukyou rolled over in her sleep, accidentally tossing away most of the covers, revealing quite a bit of leg. The embarrassed boy carefully tucked the bedcovers back around his fiancée and gazed down at her face.

_She looks kinda peaceful now, but I almost lost Ucchan last night, too. The Mamono tried to kill her, the river tried to drown her, and the weather tried to freeze her._

A chill ran down his spine as Ranma realized how much he took Ukyou for granted.

_Ucchan's tough, too, but she's not indestructible. She needs my help against these Mamonos._

And she loved him. She had said it with an intensity and a certainty that scared him. Ranma knew he cared about Ukyou, maybe more than had really realized before.

_She's important to me. But is it love? Do I love any of them? Or am I such a jerk that the only one I really care about is myself?_

_I can't ask Pops. That idiot promised me to three girls that I know of. Talking to him is only gonna make it worse. I can't ask Mom, either. I hardly know her. She seems obsessed with honor, but the only person whose honor she seems to care about in this whole fiancée mess is Akane. She doesn't seem to care about Shampoo's honor. Or Ukyou's. Or Kaori's. Or anybody else's and Kami-sama knows how many more girls Pops promised me to. Or how many boys._

Ranma shivered, but then he heard someone rap on the door.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Tofu stayed till Mr. Tendo and Mr. Saotome returned home in the evening. By then, he and Kasumi knew that Akane was missing, and they'd had no more luck locating her than they had finding Ranma and Ukyou.

Strain and sleeplessness marked their faces. Genma appeared unfazed by the tragedy, though it was a bit difficult to read a panda's expression. Soun looked haggard, at least ten years older than he had the day before. His reactions were oddly subdued, probably from the effects of the sedatives.

"Akane still hasn't returned, Father." Though Kasumi omitted mentioning the Mamono or that Ranma and Ukyou were also missing.

"Oh, that's really too bad. I had hoped to see Akane. I hoped..." Soun shook his head like a man trying to wake up. "Sorry. She'll turn up, she always does."

It took the man visible effort to focus. "Probably out looking for her fiancé. That's good...bring them closer together." Soun took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Need to sleep...sorry...don't worry, Kasumi...Akane will be fine...just fine...fine..."

At last he ran out of words and Genma helped him to his room.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Who are you?"

It was a representative of the love hotel, the first person Ranma had actually seen, everything else had been automated.

"You only paid for the night, not for this long," the woman insisted.

"Okay, okay." Ranma hurried to his clothing, rummaging through the pockets. "Just be quiet. I don't wanna wake Ucchan." He hurried back to the door, then pressed a bunch of yen into the woman's hand.

She counted the bills slowly, the smiled. "Thanks for the tip." The woman turned, then glanced back over her shoulder. "But I would have thought you were the type for briefs, not boxers."

Ranma stood frozen in the doorway, his face a deep crimson as he realized that was all he was wearing.

"At least I didn't wake Ucchan," he whispered.

Arms wrapped around him, and a body pressed against his back. "Ranchan, what time is it?" she murmured drowsily, her mouth was so close to his ear he could feel her breath.

"I, um, the lady said it was seven."

"Morning?" Ukyou yawned.

"Evening. Um..." Even though the hall was dimly lit, he clearly saw an embarrassed couple standing there. They could also see Ranma and Ukyou quite well. Ranma opened his mouth, but couldn't think of anything to say.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Tatewaki Kuno was talking to himself, but that was not unusual.

"I weary of being pushed and prodded about by these oafs who claim themselves doctors. There be no more wrong with me than there was the first time and much of this talk of Mamonos is rank nonsense. 'Tis plain for any fool to see that this is the work of that foul sorcerer Ranma Saotome."

He stood outside the hospital waiting for Sasuke to arrive with the Kuno family limousine. Passersby circled wide around the teen, sometimes sadly shaking their heads.

"By robbing me of my raiment, he has robbed me of my dignity. By robbing me of my weapon, he has robbed me of my pride. But this pales to insignificance when one considers what he has stolen from the beautiful and virtuous Akane Tendo. A delicate flower of womanhood has been plucked by the brute hand of a senseless beast, and for this he shall most assuredly pay."

"Saotome, beware! Though you have bested me for the moment I, Tatewaki Kuno, the Blue Thunder of Furinkan High, shall regain my strength and return again to destroy both you and these foul minions of yours known as Mamonos. Now I am forewarned and they shall no longer have hold over me."

Sasuke's arrival interrupted Kuno. The boy climbed into the back of the automobile, surprised to see his sister already sitting there.

_Odd, her eyes appear to be bright green. No doubt she is wearing colored contact lenses in another misguided attempt at gaining attention._

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Akane had finally stopped crying. Her eyes seemed to have lost their focus and she was staring at nothing. She barely blinked and she hadn't moved in what seemed like forever.

P-chan focused on one bare knee doing his best not to look any higher. He trotted over and nuzzled Akane's leg. Akane snatched the little pig up and hugged him to her chest. P-chan struggled frantically to stay conscious, not the easiest of tasks considering that Akane was squashing him so hard he couldn't breathe. The part of her anatomy she held him against wasn't helping either.

Suddenly, the pressure eased and P-chan inhaled sharply in a sort of whooping snort that might have been funny under other circumstances.

"Oh, Ryouga, I'm sorry. I'm so very, very sorry."

The pig looked bewildered though his eyes stayed tightly shut.

"I could have killed you. I...I know I wanted to. I'm scared Ryouga, scared of myself. Is that all I have left after momma died, just the anger?"

She broke into weeping again.

"I never wanted to hurt anyone. I never meant to hurt anyone."

Ryouga finally had enough breath to bwee in agreement.

"I wondered why P-chan acted so shy, why he looked away or shut his eyes when I changed clothes. You couldn't tell me as P-chan, but why didn't you tell me as Ryouga?"

P-chan hung his head in bitterness and shame. He had no excuse and he hadn't always looked away.

"Oh, but how could you? How could you dare tell me? I...I...my anger...I nearly killed you...I...what am I? You're the only one besides Kasumi that's ever nice to me. You're the only one that even tried to help me get better at martial arts."

"When the...the Mamono tried to squash me you stopped it, even though you...you were in such pain. You said you'd die for me. You said you loved me. Why? Why? What did I do to make you risk your life for me? You tried to save me when I nearly drowned at the Charlotte Cup and again against the Orochi here in Ryugenzawa. You were only a tiny black pig. It was a huge eight-headed dragon. You had no chance, but you dived into the water to rescue me. Why?"

Now her voice was barely a whisper. "Why did I waste all this time being angry at that jerk Ranma, when I could have asked you why did all that for me."

Ryouga wished once again that he turned into something useful like a cat or a dog or almost anything but a small black pig. 'Bwee' was far too small of a vocabulary to deal with this.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

A dark-haired boy and a girl with long brown hair stared at a dark-haired boy and a girl with long brown hair. It felt like looking in a strange warped mirror. Ukyou blushed and tried to hide behind Ranma. Yuka blushed and tried to hide behind Daisuke. The two boys looked like a demented pair of fish; their mouths moved uselessly, but no words emerged.

Yuka finally broke the silence. "We, uh, didn't expect to see you here."

"Uh, yeah," Ukyou stammered, "It's our first time here," and winced at how that sounded. "Uh, we got here late last night." That didn't sound any better.

Daisuke laughed nervously. "We, ah, recommend, um, this is a good place. Been here before and, um..."

Yuka stepped in verbally. "We've been together since the school year started. Could you please not tell anyone." She clasped her hands together and bowed. "You know what the gossips at school are like. It could get ugly."

Ranma figured if he could keep Ryouga's secret, this would be no problem. Ukyou echoed Ranma while doing her best to stay hidden behind him.

The other couple relaxed and an awkward silence followed till Daisuke nervously mumbled, "Hey Ranma, how about sharing those techniques you mentioned."

Ukyou whispered to Ranma "What did he say?"

"He's asking about that fight with the first Mamono, the new techniques we tried," Ranma whispered back.

Neither of the martial artists noticed the way Yuka glared at a suddenly even more nervous Daisuke. The other couple also missed Ranma and Ukyou's exchange, though Ukyou got their attention back with the next words she spoke.

"But Ranchan, I'm way too tired now."

Daisuke looked jealous. Yuka looked envious.

"Aw, c'mon Ucchan. You know, the one with the paired spatulas?

"Sp...Spatulas?" Yuka stammered.

"But, Ranchan, that's not new. I used to try it on you all the time when we were kids."

Ranma smiled and blushed. "Oh yeah, that's right."

Yuka and Daisuke now shared wide-eyed expressions of shock and their arms were raised in nearly identical warding gestures.

"I guess I could them my new technique, Ucchan."

"Sh...Show," Daisuke stammered while Yuka blushed bright red.

"Sure," Ranma smiled. "You guys got any spoons?

The door slammed shut as the other couple fled. Ranma stared at the door in confusion. "I thought they wanted to talk martial arts?"

"Well, that's not why they came here..." Ukyou trailed off in embarrassment as she realized what Daisuke had really asked. Ranma blushed too after she explained it.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

P-chan nosed at the satchel, one of several he had stashed across Japan. Akane opened it to find a set of Ryouga's trademark yellow tunic and dark pants and a pair of shoes. It also held a dome tent, a sleeping bag, a small camp stove, some pans, a lot of instant ramen, and a set of waterproof matches. Akane donned the tunic and set about heating some water. Even she could get that right.

Before long, a damp and embarrassed Ryouga returned to his normal form. Akane giggled as he almost leaped into the pants. The Lost Boy sat down, crossed his arms over his face and rested his elbows on his knees.

"You should have done it, Akane. You'd be better off without me. I'm a pathetic jerk who can't find his own house and turns into a small tasty-looking piglet. You call Ranma a pervert, but I'm the one who deserves to be called that."

Ryouga wasn't crying, but his voice sounded hollow and empty of everything including hope. Akane wasn't over being mad at Ryouga, but he sounded more depressed than she'd ever heard him.

"Hey, it's not that bad. It's not like anybody else knows."

The boy's silence spoke loudly.

"Who else knows you're P-chan?"

"Ranma."

Akane made a mental note to hammer her fiancé the next time she saw him. "But he's the only one," she asked.

"Genma and the Jusenkyou guide have to know. They nearly ate me for lunch the day Ranma knocked me into the Spring of Drowned Black Pig."

Akane added another hammering to Ranma's list. No make that, two. One for doing that to Ryouga and a second for abandoning him to be eaten. "Genma knew all this time and he never said anything?"

"Maybe he hoped Ranma would get jealous and fight over you. Maybe he didn't care. He's a strange man."

"Maybe he hoped you'd try to take advantage of me and reduce the number of fiancées he'd promised Ranma to," she offered hesitantly.

"I don't think so. Besides, your dad would just try to push Nabiki or Kasumi into it."

"And you're not the kind of guy to act like that, Ryouga." Akane smiled. It was a beautiful if slightly sad smile. Ryouga didn't see it; his face remained buried in his arms.

"No, I only betrayed your trust. I've been alone for most of my life and I deserve it."

Now Ryouga was making Akane mad for a completely different reason. "Listen, you dummy, I'm mad about what you did, but you're better than that jerk Ranma. He and Ukyou start sleeping together and he doesn't even have the guts to tell me, let alone call off our engagement. My dad refuses to believe it and insists we'll still end up together."

Her next words were spoken much more softly. "We might have if our fathers hadn't pushed so hard. We didn't have any real chance to learn to like each other, let alone love."

"You still care about him."

"I...I..." Akane stammered, "I think I did, but he's made his choice. Only an idiot would want him after that."

Ryouga didn't know what to say. Unlike Ranma, he knew enough to shut up in cases like this.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

The silence lagged on. Ukyou sat on the bed staring down at her interlaced fingers. Ranma stood in the middle of the room, his hands clasped behind his head, staring at one of the few bits of ceiling that wasn't mirrored. Neither knew what to say or do and knowledge of where they were and how little they wore merely reinforced their nervousness.

Finally, Ukyou stood and moved to examine their outer clothing. Ranma's shirt and pants were nearly dry, but her dress still felt somewhat damp. She nervously ran her fingers through her hair, finally noticing how tangled it was.

_Great, I probably look like a wreck._

Ranma glanced over when he sensed movement. He quickly whipped his head back around. He had a nice view of Ukyou bent over looking at the clothes, but he didn't want her to think he was trying to peep at her, regardless of how manly his mom might claim that was.

"Umm, Ucchan, you wanna use the shower first?" Ranma voice almost cracked in nervousness. He hoped what he said didn't sound like some sleazy way of suggesting they share the shower. Ranma blushed at the thought.

To Ukyou, it sounded like Ranma was saying she looked like a disaster area. Ranma watched in confusion as she trudged forlornly into the bathroom.

_Ucchan looks so sad. I musta said something wrong again. Did she actually want me to suggest we shower together? Maybe she thinks I did? Maybe she thinks I'm just another pervert?_ Ranma suspected he'd never understand girls.

_When did I start caring what girls thought? Is this why Pops kept me away from them, so I wouldn't get so confused?_

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

The forest of Ryugenzawa was a strange place even by day, but the mists that covered it by night hid the trees' forms and made the noises of the wildlife muted and eerie. That wasn't why Akane couldn't sleep.

The ground felt a lot harder than the bed she normally slept on, and though it was far warmer than it should have been, Akane felt chilly even in the borrowed sleeping bag. That wasn't why she couldn't sleep, either.

She'd seen how dark and ugly her anger could get.

_Ryouga would be dead now if I didn't stop myself. I barely kept myself from killing him, what will I do the next time I get angry? With the way I feel about Ranma and Ukyou, the way they betrayed me, will I hurt them next?_ That was her way, strike back at the blind, unfeeling world, ever since...ever since her mother died.

And Ryouga had showed her another thing she didn't like and he did it with only five words.

"You still care about him."

She had claimed she didn't want Ranma or the engagement so many times, had even claimed she hated him. She kept pushing him away verbally. Sometimes, far too often, she even used her hammer or a bokken or the nearest piece of furniture when words were not enough.

"You still care about him."

She couldn't drive the words away; she couldn't hammer them into silence. As they echoed in her memory, she felt tears forming, hidden tears that might have broken the barrier of anger and insults between her and Ranma, that might have ended the pattern of pain. But Akane hid those tears out of pride, like Ukyou and Shampoo and even Kodachi. All Ranma saw was her anger, anger that proved she cared even as it drove him away.

_I told Ryouga only an idiot would still want Ranma. I'm an idiot. I was lying to myself and to him. If I really didn't care about Ranma, it wouldn't matter what he did with who. If I didn't think of Ukyou as a friend, I wouldn't hate her for what happened either._

She still wanted to hurt them both like they hurt her, but now she was terrified of herself and what she might do. She shuddered, visualizing P-chan's broken body in a spreading pool of blood, realizing how close she'd come to it.

"Now it's too late." There was anger even in that whisper. "It's just like with Tofu and Kasumi. I was afraid to let him know how I felt. If I cared again, if I admitted it, I could end up alone anyway, just like I did before."

"Why doesn't anybody want me?" Akane whispered sadly. An inner voice mocked her, pointing out how the other girls excelled her in looks, in martial arts, in athletic ability, in cooking, in everything that mattered to her. "Why can't I ever be good enough? She dresses like a guy and she's more feminine than I am. Even he's more feminine than I am."

She barely heard the low moan outside the tent.

"Ryouga?" she whispered.

The moan came again, only louder this time. Akane unzipped the tent door and peered into the darkness. Ryouga lay huddled on the ground, shivering even in his sleep. Akane's expression softened. Ryouga had given up his shirt, his tent, and his sleeping bag for her sake.

Akane stepped out of the tent and knelt by Ryouga's side.

_He thinks I'm good enough. He wants me. He cares about me, even with all his faults. Even with all **my** faults. He cares, he listens, he encourages, he tries to protect me and I know it's not because of some stupid duty forced on him. I know **he** loves me, that somebody really loves me._

She reached a trembling hand forward, not daring to touch him.

_I wish I was that sure about anything. How does Ryouga know what he feels? How can I trust how anyone else feels when I don't know what I feel?_

Hints of moonlight caressed the boy's face and Akane hesitated.

_He's handsome. Why didn't I notice that either? And he's kind and gentle and patient and brave. He can't find his own house, but he's always there when I need him._

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

The hot water cascading down felt wonderful. Ukyou wanted to stay in the shower for two or three weeks. Of course, if she waited too long Ranma would get more than a little impatient.

_Half the time it seems like he doesn't even think of me as a girl. He might just forget and burst in._

Ukyou stepped out of the shower and began to towel herself off. There was a mirror across the whole wall in front of her. And to the left of her. And the right. And on the ceiling. Ukyou blushed at the view.

_No wonder Ranchan thinks of me as a guy. Shampoo is so stacked even a blind boy like Mousse can see it. Kodachi wears those skintight leotards that don't hide any of her figure. And what do I wear? I don't have much, but I hide even that sometimes. _She'd gone to a boy's middle school. She knew how important size was to most of them.

Ukyou stared at her reflection. Her long hair was the one feminine thing she couldn't part with during the years she pretended to be a boy. It amazed her that only that jerk Tsubasa ever saw through the disguise.

"I guess Ranchan's not the only one who thinks I look like a guy."

But he was the only one that really made her feel like a girl. The only one to see past the mask she wore and dare to call her cute. She'd tried to discard her femininity when she was six, because all it brought her was grief, but those few words of Ranma's gave her the strength to try and perhaps regain it, even though it cost her still more pain.

_I just wish I knew how. I always was a tomboy. I don't care about flowers or lace or shoujo manga or fancy dresses or any of that stuff._

She stared into the mirror, trying to will confidence into the reflected eyes. Ukyou smiled sadly at herself, noting her hair was still a tangled mass and she had no comb. It had disappeared along with the clothing she had worn when she summoned her Mamono Hunter outfit.

_Well, there should be a way to reverse the spell. I can't imagine 108 generations of Mamono Hunters being able to afford that much replacement clothing._

Ukyou dropped the towel. It might complicate summoning her regular clothes. She blushed at her reflection again and stepped back into the shower stall.

"Just in case Ranchan does blunder in," she whispered.

The girl concentrated and began weaving patterns in the air as the gems of the Yoma ring pulsed. Again, she felt a spinning sensation and there was a flash of light.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

He was afraid she would order him away, afraid she would hate him for everything he had done. Instead, Akane insisted he join her in the tent, then collapsed into his arms crying, pouring out her pain to him just like she did when she thought he was only her pet P-chan.

He didn't know what to say, he just held her close as shuddering sobs racked her body. One lone star peered though the canopy of trees and the door of the tent. Ryouga stared at it even as he held Akane, never wanting to let her go.

He'd heard about making wishes on a star.

_Please, Kami-sama, let her be happy. I'll do anything if I could make her smile again._

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

The Mamono Hunter starter kit was more fun than Azusa had expected. It was fun summoning the dress, even though it wasn't frilly enough. The toy ghosts and other things were fun to name, too. There was one book, 'All You Really Need To Know About Hyper-Space and Pan-Dimensional Travel', but reading it made her head hurt more than headbutting the concrete wall so she put it aside.

Auntie Madoka's letter told Azusa that she was now a Mamono Hunter in training and that she needed to assist somebody named Ukyou Kuonji in fighting the monsters. Azusa didn't think that sounded very fun until she saw a few pictures of Mamonos.

Her look grew serious and she spoke to her collection again. "I will destroy these icky monsters and keep the world safe for cuteness." The little skater flashed victory signs, but her audience of inanimate objects remained silent.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

The pants were dry. Only their black color hid the scorch marks from his ride on the back of Haradachi. Ranma picked up his shirt. It seemed dry enough. Then a red light flared around Ukyou's Mamono Hunter dress. It spun into the air and shredded apart, but nothing fell to the floor. Nothing.

"Kami, no!"

Ranma's fist shattered the bathroom door. Wooden shrapnel ricocheted across the room, fracturing the mirrored walls and cracking the shower door. Through the damaged glass, he saw Ukyou. Ranma threw the door open and pulled her into his arms.

"Ucchan...oh kami...I thought you were dead."

For a moment, she couldn't breathe, and then he eased his grip. Her fear gave way to anger, which gave way to concern as she saw Ranma's eyes were moist.

"Oh, Uch...I...I thought...the dress...it just...it was gone...and I thought..."

Ranma turned pale, finally noticing the damage he'd inflicted on the room. He gave a gulping sob and pulled away from Ukyou. Broken glass crunched under his bare feet as he spun, taking in all he'd done. He crouched into a ball and wrapped his arms around himself.

"I'm sorry...I'm sorry..." he babbled.

Ukyou knelt and wrapped her arms around him. "It's okay, Ranchan, it's okay." She didn't understand. Ranma never looked scared unless it involved cats.

"Akane's right, I'm such an idiot, what would I have done to you if you were standing..." He gestured with a trembling hand at wood splinters embedded in the wall.

"I'm fine, Ranchan."

At her words, the tension and fear began draining from him and he took a closer look at Ukyou. "Hey, what were you doing in the shower with your clothes on? Wait, that's the stuff you were wearing last night. What happened?"

"I tried reversing the spell to summon back my regular clothes." If the spell had failed, she'd have been wearing nothing. Ranma wasn't wearing much more than that anyway and Ukyou felt a warmth spread across her face and chest.

"Sorry, Ucchan, this has gotta be one of the dumbest things I've done."

"It's okay. You were just worried."

"Tha...thanks."

"Next time you want to see me in the shower, knock a little more softly. It's not an emergency."

Ukyou clapped a hand to her mouth, wanting to call back the impulsive words and erase the wink that left Ranma stammering. The pair knelt in speechless silence, their faces matching the color of the missing dress.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

It wasn't enough. Ryouga's words, his arms around her, weren't enough to erase the pain. Akane bowed her head, resting it on the boy's shoulder, as thoughts and feelings swirled in a maelstrom. Maybe it was the need to overwhelm the pain. Maybe she just needed to take control of one part of the confusing mess her life had become since Ranma arrived. Anger and pity and love and self-hatred and desire and sorrow and fear warred within her and even she was never sure which of those emotions won out.

Akane crossed her arms in front of her and grabbed the lower edge of the yellow tunic she wore. Ryouga's eyes grew wide and he couldn't speak or even breathe. Akane smiled briefly. Yellow always was her favorite color. She took a slow, deep breath and paused for a moment that seemed like an eternity. Ryouga still hadn't moved and her eyes traced the muscles of his chest and arms.

A look of decision crossed her face. In one smooth movement, she pulled the borrowed garment up and over her head. She tossed it behind her, paying no attention to where it landed. Literally as well as figuratively, she didn't want to look back. If she had, through the still open door of the tent, she might have seen a tall slender boy with a broom slung on his back and eyes that weren't supposed to be green.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Nothing left to straighten. No more chores to occupy her mind. Kasumi was no longer the calm center in the hurricane of chaos. There was nothing for her to do, no one to help or advise. She felt useless and helpless and for the first time in her life regretted not studying martial arts. Then she could at least release her frustrations on the practice dummies like Akane did.

The house had been unbearably quiet since Dr. Tofu left. Once, Kasumi had yearned for peace. Now every noise echoed in the empty silence. It was so hard to believe one of her sisters was gone.

At least she hoped it was only one. The silence reminded her that Akane had disappeared at about the same time as Ranma and Ukyou. Kasumi picked up the cross her mother left her. It might be only a symbol, but it felt comforting. Perhaps the only thing she could do was pray.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

No one burst in to demand an explanation after Ranma destroyed most of the bathroom. Even if the place was soundproofed, it was still amazing. The boy had several cuts on his feet from the broken glass, but insisted he was fine. He'd probably say the same thing if something had torn his arm off, so Ukyou was more than a little worried. She insisted he sit in the shower while she tossed the glass shards into the wastebasket.

She had a good view of her partly clothed fiancé through the cracked glass of the shower door, which made her blush. She didn't want to stare and make Ranma feel like they both did during lunch at school recently. Like the fish in Miss Hinako's fishbowl.

"Like the fish..." she murmured.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

An incessant banging noise woke Dr. Tofu. He shuffled to the door of his clinic and fumbled it open. To his surprise and relief, Ukyou stood there carrying a female Ranma on her back. The shorter girl's feet were wrapped in bloodstained strips of cloth.

"I told ya, Ucchan. I coulda walked."

"On your hands?"

"Sure, it woulda been good balance training."

Ukyou put her fiancé down and turned to Dr. Tofu. "I think he's got glass splinters in his feet. When he changed so I could carry him easier, his feet started bleeding again."

"How did that happen, are you alright, and where have you two been?"

Both teens blushed, but neither volunteered an answer.

"Never mind, let me take a look." The wounds were minor. Certainly nothing comparable to the injuries Shampoo or even Konatsu had suffered. It didn't take long to clean and bandage the cuts. Ranma didn't wince or cry out when Tofu pulled the last bits of glass out of his feet. The Doctor couldn't tell whether that was an attempt to impress Ukyou or the effects of Genma pushing his version of manliness on the boy.

"That should do it. Stay off your feet as much as possible."

"Right, Doc. Let's go, Ucchan."

"Where do you two think you're going?"

They answered at the same time and the only word that Tofu clearly understood was 'hospital'.

"What?"

"Ucchan's got an idea on how to help Miss Hinako."

"Ranchan told me that she tried to absorb energy from Akane when Akane was controlled by the first Mamono. Normally Miss Hinako absorbs positive chi but that must have been negative chi. So if we put her near a source of positive energy like those fighting fish she keeps in a fishbowl..."

"I already tried that." Tofu shook his head. "Studying pressure points allows me to determine patterns in the flow of chi through the body. In her current physical state, only a real combat would produce high enough positive chi levels and even then she can't absorb them while she stays unconscious."

"Ranchan used revealing photos to get a different kind of hot chi reaction out of Happosai so he could use the Hiryu Shouten Ha whirlwind against the old pervert. Would that kind of chi work?" Ukyou got misty eyed as she imagined practicing the Crimson Attack with Ranma again.

Tofu raised an eyebrow. "Well, that would require rather high chi levels as well, so high that..." He looked closely at Ukyou.

"Oh my. You mean Ranchan and I would have to..." She stared at the floor, her cheeks red with color.

"To do what?" the boy interrupted.

"But Miss Ninomiya still couldn't absorb the energy while she was unconscious," Tofu explained.

"I was hoping me and Ucchan could at least try," Ranma grumbled. "So much for that idea."

Ukyou stared at him a moment, then shook her head and laughed softly. "You big dummy," she muttered.

"What if I used my Moko Takabisha? That's positive chi and I can project it."

"That might work," Tofu replied.

"Alright!"

"I said it **might** work."

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

The sound of footsteps in the hallway outside distracted Konatsu from more pointless contemplation of the ceiling.

_There's three. Lady Ukyou. Maybe she's come to see me._

The ninja's hope vanished as the footsteps passed the door and continued down the hall.

_I'm fairly sure the second is Lord Ranma, though there's something wrong, like he's hurt his feet. I don't know who the third is._

It wasn't any of the nurses; Konatsu had already memorized the sounds of their movements. The ninja glided silently to the door and peered out before following the trio.

They moved quietly, but purposefully down the hall, then entered a room on the right. Konatsu glanced at the name plate outside.

_Hinako Ninomiya. I wonder who that is?_

The door was still open. Ranma was already seated near the unconscious form on the bed; Ukyou stood behind him, one arm on the chair back; and a tall man wearing glasses stood by the foot of the bed.

Ranma reached forward, gingerly taking the hand of the dark-haired girl on the bed. "I sure hope this works." Chi energy began to glow in his hand, and he sat there quietly for a minute.

"Nothing," he sighed. "And if I use any more power I'm probably gonna hurt her."

"Remember the coin she used, Ranchan." She handed her fiancé a five yen piece. "Try this." Konatsu suspected there was more than symbolic significance to the ring-shaped coin.

Ranma placed the coin in his teacher's palm and clasped his hand over hers. Again, his hand was limned with a faint glow, but then it burst into a glowing ball of light as the chi energy in Ranma's glowing hand streamed into Hinako. Ukyou and the doctor shielded their eyes, while Ranma gasped and slumped forward.

"Ranchan, are you okay?"

"Didn't expect this much. Draining me." But he didn't let go.

Hinako's body started shifting from her childlike form to her full adult appearance, but not in the smooth even transition that normally occurred when she absorbed someone's chi energy. It began with the hand, then traveled down the arm, which bulged to adult size. The energy continued, flowing across her chest. Irreverently, Konatsu was reminded of balloons inflating. The body on the bed began writhing as the machines set up to monitor heart and brain activity went wild. Hinako convulsed and then lay still, the only sign of life the faint but steady beeping of the heart monitor.

Ranma dropped the woman's hand and leaned back, obviously exhausted. Tofu stepped forward to examine Hinako.

"You gonna be okay?" Ukyou whispered.

"Yeah, but it was tougher than I thought."

Tofu motioned for silence and then smiled. "Vital signs appear normal. She's sleeping, but she's no longer dreaming, and that's a very good sign. We'll know for sure after I do some tests, but I think she's going to make it."

Then Konatsu spoke, ended the moment of joy. "I wish we could say that about Shampoo." The ninja slumped against doorframe, too tired to keep up the cute girlish facade. "Shampoo...it's all my fault...what happened."

"What are you doing out of bed?" Tofu replied. "And what happened to Shampoo is no more your fault than what happened to Nabiki is Ranma's. If it's anybody's fault, it's mine," he added mournfully. "I'm the doctor, I'm supposed to be able to help people."

"What did happen to them?" Ukyou asked hesitantly, afraid of the answer. Ranma slumped further into the chair; drawing into himself physically as his heart began sliding into the abyss.


	5. Ikari Part 2

Mamono Hunter Ukyou Chapter 3

Ikari: Roots of Hatred

Part 2

By Edward A. Simons

Based on characters and situations created by Takahashi Rumiko. Ranma 1/2 and characters copyright Shogakukan, Kitty Animation Circle, and Takahashi Rumiko. Devil Hunter Yohko and characters copyright NCS, Toho Company, LTD., and Mad House. This story revised 2004 by Edward Simons.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Everyone is a moon, and has a dark side which he never shows to anybody."

Mark Twain

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Moko Takabisha." A glowing ball of chi smashed into the tree, scattering bark and splinters. The tree detonated. Ryouga watched it fall and tried to decide something.

"Either this is all some strange dream, or Akane smashed P-chan and I'm in some kind of afterlife." He began counting off points on his fingers. "This is almost summer instead of winter. Akane's cooking tastes great. We did things last night that would normally make me faint. Actually, just thinking about them would normally make me faint." He blushed. "I can find Akane whenever I want to and I feel confident enough to summon a Moko Takabisha like Ranma can."

If Ryouga had thought it through, he would have remembered he was almost always able to find Akane when he thought about her, even though he was hopeless at finding any physical location. The Forest of Ryugenzawa was a strange magical place, which explained the bizarre weather and the Water of Life explained Akane's cooking being edible. What he and Akane did helped explain his newfound confidence. So did the fact he thought it was all a dream and even Akane couldn't fully explain why she took their relationship to such a level of intimacy.

The Lost Boy collected the firewood and returned to Akane, cheerfully unaware that everything happening was fully real. More significantly, he didn't see the boy observing them from the shadow of the trees or the fury burning in the that boy's eyes.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

The ghost of a smile crossed Ukyou's face. Ranma had collapsed onto his futon and fallen into slumber immediately. He looked cute when he was asleep, but restless movements betrayed his feelings over Nabiki and Shampoo.

_Why can't Ranchan get a break? I know he's blaming himself. I wish I could just make his pain go away. Not that I've ever been any good at getting what I wish for._

Ranma's room was almost spartan in its lack of furnishings. When you spent most of your life on the move, you learned to only keep what you really needed. Ukyou briefly checked his backpack and his dresser drawers.

That left his pockets. Ukyou moved gingerly, imagining him waking in the middle of things and blushing at the possible misunderstanding. She flipped the wallet open and stuffed some money into it. He'd never accept an offer to pay a share of the expenses at the love hotel.

_Now to put it back without him thinking I'm trying to grope him._

But something drew her eye. There was one picture, only one, in the wallet. It showed a tiny Ranma being held by a woman.

_His mother. She's aged well. Remarkable how much she looks like his cursed form._

For a moment, Ukyou fantasized holding Ranma's child like Nodoka had once held Ranma.

_I guess Genma tried to separate Ranchan from all feminine influences. He must have been hiding the photo for most of his life._

_No wonder Ranchan's so awkward around girls. His idiot father deliberately deprived him of contact with any members of the opposite sex, even if they were only six-year-old tomboys._

_Maybe Dad isn't so bad after all. He was big, gruff, fierce-looking, and he never said much. Maybe he never said he cared about me, but he showed it._

Just like he must have cared about the mother she couldn't remember. Her father never spoke about her mother, but he never looked at any other woman, either.

_Maybe I'm more like Dad than I thought; we both seem better at doing than saying things. And I don't think he's ever been in love with anyone but Mom._

She pulled out her own faded ten-year-old picture. It showed a pair of childhood friends sitting next to each other, happily munching okonomiyaki.

_All these years, even when I hated him, I really loved him. But could he love an uncute tomboy like me?_

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Stay out of Shampoo's room, Sneaky Ninja Girl. Shampoo not in mood to be killing you now."

"Killing me? I wouldn't blame you," Konatsu replied. "Nothing I can do will make up for what I've done. I don't know what came over me." The ninja paused and winced. "That sounds both false and inadequate, but it's true. I didn't want to hurt you like this. I guess that makes me a pretty lousy ninja."

"Shampoo not be killing you because Shampoo mad. Shampoo be killing you because is Amazon law. If Amazon woman is defeated by outsider woman, Amazon must kill her."

"Yes, Lady Ukyou mentioned that's why you chased Ranma to Japan. So there's no problem."

"But Airen wasn't a real girl."

"Neither am I," Konatsu replied.

"What, you fall in Jusenkyou spring?"

"No, I've always been a boy."

"Shampoo not just fall off back of farm wagon. Tell better story next time, Stupid Ninja Girl."

Konatsu signed and opened the top of his costume.

"Maybe Ninja Girl is late developer." But Shampoo's tone was anything but certain.

"I'm not going to strip for you."

"What? New Airen afraid he not measure up to old Airen?"

"Ai..." Konatsu hesitated, then took a deep breath. "Airen? Husband. More of your stupid Amazon laws." He sighed in exasperation. "So Amazon law allows you to have more than one husband?"

"No, males is vain and proud like roosters, would always be fighting and there be no peace in house. It not supposed to happen like this, law not consider chance of Amazon woman being defeated by two outsider males."

"Three thousand years of Amazon history and nothing like this has ever come up? You can't expect me to believe that."

"Let Shampoo explain, Stupid Ninja Boy. If Amazon woman is defeated by outsider male, she must make him her husband."

"Yes, I know how you used your Amazon laws to try to trap Lord Ranma."

"No, law is trap for Shampoo," she said sadly. "Law say Amazon woman must make man who defeat her be husband. Is great shame to Shampoo and Shampoo's village to be defeated by outsider. Must kill outsider female to erase that shame or be punished. Must not return without killing outsider girl or be punished. When Shampoo return after refuse to kill girl Ranma, she receive punishment at Jusenkyou."

"If Shampoo not marry Airen, get new worse punishment. But law not say what to do if defeated by two outsider males."

"So you claim."

"Is true. Law assume Amazon woman find and persuade outsider male to become husband. After that, other outsider males must challenge husband if want Amazon woman. Survivor is then husband."

"So you expect Ranma and me to battle to the death over you?"

"No, Shampoo was supposed to make Ranma her Airen, even call him that, but he was not really Shampoo's Airen yet. Law not plan for this," she sighed.

"What about battle? I'm sure there have been Amazon women defeated in battle by more than one man."

"That battle, not challenge," Shampoo replied in the same tone typically used to address a not-especially-clever child. "Battle not have same rules as challenge, no one fight by self on either side. And fate of Amazon womans defeated in battle usually worse than death. Most Amazon womans choose death to fate as slave or worse of enemy."

"So Law say Shampoo must marry both Airens, yet Law say Shampoo cannot marry both Airens. And Shampoo no want to marry you, Pervert Boy."

"So who said I wanted to marry a bossy, manipulative girl like you?"

"Not forget cripple."

Konatsu's head snapped back as if she'd smashed him with a bonbori again. "No, I'll never forget that I crippled you."

"Stupid boy, you no cripple Shampoo. Curse cripple Shampoo. Curse keep Shampoo from Ranma. Now curse kill Shampoo."

"What?"

"Dr. Tofu stupid," she said bitterly. "Waste time on Shampoo. Amazon warriors no allowed to be weak, is shame to Amazon tribe. Shampoo no walk again. Great-grandmother come kill now that Shampoo weak. Is Amazon way."

"Kill her own granddaughter?"

"Great-grandmother," Shampoo sighed, "not have choice. Is law that oldest ancestor punish womans what break Amazon laws. So Shampoo's great-grandmother give curse to Shampoo for failure. Shame to family so great that Great-Grandmother come to make sure Shampoo no fail again, no shame family and tribe even more. And now Great-Grandmother must kill Shampoo. Is Amazon law."

"You told her?" Konatsu gasped.

The girl in the hospital bed remained silent.

"You didn't tell her. You still want to live."

"Shampoo no say that."

"Shampoo no have to. Arrgh, now you've got me talking that way," Konatsu complained. "I'll grab a wheelchair and get you out of here."

"Stupid boy, Shampoo still love Ranma."

"And I still love Lady Ukyou."

"Why you do this, then?"

"Lord Ranma and Lady Ukyou helped me escape from the Kenzan clan even when I was stupid enough to let those women manipulate me into fighting my friends. You obviously don't want to follow your stupid Amazon rules anymore. That's enough."

"Stupid Pervert Boy only make Great-Grandmother angry, not stop her. No reason you get killed, too."

"As a ninja, the clan expected me to complete my tasks even if I died in the attempt. I think saving a life is a lot better reason to risk dying for."

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Kasumi's pulse beat faster just hearing Tofu's voice on the phone. Merely having someone to speak with was a comfort after her father's hysterics and Genma's silence. But she especially wanted to talk to him; she needed his strength so badly now.

"Ranma was too drained to say much," the doctor explained, "but he seems to blame himself for everything that happened. Ukyou told me that Ryouga carried Akane away from the combat."

Kasumi released the breath she didn't realize she was holding, relieved she hadn't become an only child.

"It is odd that they haven't returned by now," he continued.

"With Ryouga's sense of direction, they're probably lost so badly Akane can't find any place she recognizes yet."

"Aren't you worried, Kasumi?"

"Ryouga is used to surviving on his own and he's a superb martial artist. I don't think Akane can get much safer than she is now. He loves her and there's no way he'd let anyone or anything hurt her. And I'm not worried about the two being alone, either. Ryouga's always been a perfect gentleman towards my little sister."

"Does Akane know that he feels that way about her?"

"She has to, only an idiot could miss it. Have you seen the way he looks at her, the way he acts when Akane is near him?"

"Um, he doesn't act like me does he? With his strength..."

Kasumi smiled and almost laughed. "Thank you, Tofu."

"What?"

"You don't need to worry about that. And Akane's not stupid. She has to know how Ryouga feels about her," Kasumi continued. But she wasn't sure anymore. She couldn't remember Ryouga actually telling her sister that he loved her.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Ukyou busily scrubbed down the okonomiyaki grill. It was a never-ending job, but putting it off would only let things get worse.

_Too bad the rest of life isn't that simple. The longer it takes Ranchan to resolve things, the more he's going to hurt people. But that time gives him an opportunity to sort things out in his mind, so he can be sure of his decision._ Ukyou still believed she was the best choice, but she wasn't going to force that on him. Ranma was one of the most stubborn people she knew.

Almost as stubborn as a girl who spent ten years pursuing a broken dream.

The bell chimed as the front door opened, interrupting Ukyou's thoughts. Konatsu pushed backwards through the doorway, dragging a wheelchair behind him. Somehow, he looked cute and feminine even doing something that awkward.

"Stupid Boy, Shampoo can still open doors."

Ukyou's eyes narrowed. "I thought you didn't know what they were for," she remarked acidly. "You usually enter rooms by smashing through the nearest wall."

"Lady Ukyou, please. We need to help her."

"Help her?" She almost laughed.

"Her grandmother's going to kill her."

"Sure, Shampoo **always** tells the truth. Don't tell me you actually believed her." Ukyou picked up the phone, but there was something in Shampoo's eyes.

Ukyou put the phone down and stared at the other girl. Either the Amazon was a superb actress or she believed her grandmother would try it. Even in those circumstances, Shampoo was too proud to ask for help. It took coaxing to even pry the explanation out of her.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Tofu awoke to the unexpected sight of a tiny wrinkled Amazon hovering over him. Most people would have run screaming and even Tofu was grateful he wasn't wearing his glasses. A blurry Cologne was slightly less unpleasant to look at.

"Where is she?" hissed the Amazon elder.

"Which one? Kasumi? Hinako? Ukyou? Aka...?"

The voice that interrupted sounded full of menace. "Do not play these games. Where is my great-granddaughter?"

"She should be at the hospital."

"Many things are not as they should be, far too many. I ask you again, Doctor, where is my great-granddaughter?"

"If she's not at the hospital, I have no idea where she is."

"If you are attempting to hide her from me..."

"Why would she need to hide from her own great-grandmother?"

"Fool! You know nothing of our ways. It would have been better for her if you had let her die."

Confusion showed in Tofu's eyes.

"Yes, the Law says an Amazon woman who can no longer be a warrior is fit only to be given a quick merciful death. A helpless cripple is of no use to herself or her tribe."

Tofu had become a Doctor because he believed life was valuable. Now this fossilized mummy with her fossilized ideas intended to end a life he had struggled so hard to save. He practically spit the words back at her.

"You disgust me. You wield your Amazon laws like a spoiled child holding a deadly weapon. You don't care who you hurt; you only enjoy the power it gives you. Now you would destroy your own great-granddaughter. Age is supposed to bring wisdom, but all I hear from you is blind obedience to a set of **stupid** laws that should never have been created in the first place."

"Is that all you know how to do anymore, cause pain and suffering? If that's all your culture has to offer, then you should let it die. It deserves extinction more than your own flesh and blood does."

Cologne's face remained unchanged. "How dare you question the ways of your betters, you insolent child. My life will be destroyed as much as hers. Perhaps I should show you what I am truly capable of, perhaps I should destroy all that **you** hold dear. It would be far too easy..."

Tofu interrupted angrily, all trace of his normal gentle cheerfulness erased. "If there are any functioning brain cells left in that senile old head of yours they'll warn you that would be your final mistake."

"I'm not afraid of any man," Cologne replied dryly.

Tofu never got a chance to reply; the wizened Amazon had disappeared. The Doctor was left seething at the threat made toward such a gentle, innocent girl. Tofu had believed he was incapable of hating anyone. He was wrong.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

The boy went through the motions of preparing for school.

"Ranma, it's not your fault," Tofu reassured.

"Yeah," he replied listlessly.

"Your chi attacks have never burned someone before."

"Nope."

"You had no way of knowing there was a person inside that armor, let alone that they'd be hurt by the Moko Takabisha."

"Thanks for trying, Doc, but it still feels like it's my fault. Then there's Shampoo. If I hadn't hesitated..."

"You don't know that."

"And Ucchan..."

"But Ukyou's fine."

"I nearly...I screwed up. I coulda hurt her real bad. Seems like anyone close to me gets hurt."

"Ranma." Tofu caught the boy's attention with how softly he spoke. "Ranma, don't do something stupid. In a way, it's good that you're hurting. It means you really do care. But you sound like you're going to push everyone away because you're afraid you'll hurt them, too."

The boy's eyes widened. That was exactly what he had planned on doing.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Sake was far too weak, but it would have to do for now. In a darkened restaurant, a tired old woman slumped at the table. She lifted a veined and wrinkled hand and stared at it. She held such power in that hand. With her martial arts skills, she could kill effortlessly. She could inflict horrible damage.

_What good is that power when I can't even save one girl's life? Shampoo...Shampoo, I'm sorry. I wanted to protect you, but all I seem to do is hurt you. I'd rather have cut my arm off than push you into that Jusenkyou pool, but if I had refused the punishment would have been worse._

_Then I blundered about Ranma. He ran when faced with the kiss of death, and this stupid old woman made the mistake of thinking he was a coward and tried to intimidate him into marrying you._

_So he proved himself worthy of you, even as I drove him farther away. And now I've blundered again, said something foolish, let my anger turn Tofu into an enemy._

_And now I have to do this._

She couldn't do it sober. After the loss of her daughter and granddaughter, it had fallen to Cologne to raise Shampoo. Well, the girl's father still lived, but that pathetic cipher was as useless at child raising as he was at everything else. He'd actually suggested his daughter might want to become something other than a warrior.

Three thousand years of Amazon tradition said otherwise. Those traditions also said Cologne must kill her last descendant. She drained another cup.

Occasionally, a Chinese male contributed a few words of wisdom - "What is happiness? Father dies, son dies, grandson dies."

It was harsh, but changes to that natural order always brought unhappiness. No one should have to grow old alone. No one should have to see three generations of descendants die young with no opportunity to reach their full potential. It would have hurt far less if Cologne had been childless. Instead, after decades of hope, her life was as empty as the cup she had drained.

For a moment, Cologne had the urge to shatter the cup against the wall.

_What am I supposed to do? The laws hold our society together. If an elder starts disobeying them, the village will fragment and fade away, absorbed in the paternalist sea of the rest of the world._

Cologne drained another cup.

_Why can't these stupid Japanese make something strong enough?_

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

The day was cold, though the sun insisted on showing itself. Its feeble efforts brought no noticeable warmth.

They'd put the funeral off as long as possible, hoping Akane would return. After a week and a half, even Soun was persuaded that waiting longer would be useless. He'd become a stiff mechanical thing, moving like a broken puppet.

Kasumi was grateful for the support and encouragement Tofu provided. She needed someone to lean on; she was tired of being the one others always depended on for strength. She didn't really hear the words spoken at the graveside, but most of them were lies anyway. Someone that was a beloved friend and relative would have more mourners, but the only ones near the grave were Soun, Genma, Kasumi and Tofu.

Farther back, a lone teen wearing a Furinkan school uniform seemed more focused on writing things in her notebook than the actual ceremony. Kasumi also noticed a woman with long dark hair who appeared to be in her mid to late twenties, hanging back from the graveside. The woman seemed hauntingly familiar, but Kasumi couldn't place her.

She knew, rather than saw, that Ranma and Ukyou were hidden much farther back. Now was not the time for Soun to see the boy he blamed for Nabiki's death. Her father stared silently at the grave, trying to will his daughter back to him.

It was too late for that. Soun was too distracted by grief after his wife's loss to realize what had happened to Nabiki. Kasumi was too young to understand it. After their mother's death, none of the family had dealt with it well and it wasn't till much later that Kasumi understood how poorly Nabiki had managed.

After that day, Nabiki began acting like no one really mattered much to her. After all, if no one really mattered to you, you couldn't get hurt if you lost them. But not caring hurt even more than caring did. It slowly eroded Nabiki's soul leaving her cold and hard and empty as the armor of the Mamono that had possessed her.

People had become mere tools to Nabiki, tools to be manipulated for profit. No boy dared to ask her out. Her body might have been beautiful, her soul wasn't anymore. Nabiki had no friends, merely business associates. But money never loved you back and the quest for profit became an empty meaningless game. It certainly wasn't worth living for and ultimately Nabiki had so distanced herself from family, from friendship, from love, that there was nothing left for her to care about anymore, not even herself.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Ikari, the Mamono of Hatred, was growing frustrated. The gymnast had put up no resistance, neither had the boy in the robes. The old madman would be a waste of time, though Ikari approved of the small tree growing atop his head. At least one human had some sense of style. Then again, he had access to the Mamono Hunter's school. The midget was useless as a combatant, though he might make a good decoy. But the boy with the wooden sword was a tantalizing lesson in failure.

Tatewaki Kuno overflowed with hatred and though Ikari punctured him with thorns several times, the boy continued to throw off the effects of the venom. Ironically, he owed his resistance to his sister's repeated use of him as an experimental subject for her poisons and potions.

Ikari was tempted to kill the boy, but his mere presence brought such delightful responses from the others. Ikari couldn't have predicted that one of its most useful tools would be someone else it couldn't affect.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Meyoko had drawn the short straw and ended up having to attend Nabiki's funeral. She'd taught them there could be a profit in anything, so Meyoko busily recorded who attended and what they did. She wasn't sure how this information would be valuable, but some of the other girls would.

_They better. I still owe money on the new dress and we haven't been bringing in as much lately._

Meyoko was so busy taking notes she didn't notice someone's silent approach. She almost panicked. _What if they know why I'm really here?_ She imagined angry shouting, perhaps even violence directed towards her.

Trying to calm her racing heart, Meyoko snapped shut her notebook and looked up into the eyes of a woman she knew from her notes to be Nabiki's older sister. To her surprise, there was no anger in Kasumi's eyes.

"Excuse me, what's your name?"

"Me...Meyoko," the younger girl stammered.

"Thank you for coming, then. It's good to know Nabiki had one true friend."

Meyoko froze.

_Nabiki a friend? She was a boss, a business associate, not a friend. Meyoko's shock deepened as she realized she didn't have any friends, at least not any real friends, either._

_What am I doing? What have I become? Is that what I want, a life as cold and empty as Nabiki's?_

She didn't realize she was crying until Kasumi offered her a handkerchief. Meyoko shook her head and ran. Running from this place, running from herself, just running.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Ryouga, don't you think it's strange we can't find Shinnosuke or his grandfather? And I'd swear the trees are moving. The paths never seem the same twice."

To Ryouga all paths seemed that way, but that's not what he said. "Maybe it means I don't want to wake up."

"Wake up?"

"Of course, this has to be a dream. After the way I treated you there's no way you'd really do what...um...well you know..." The Lost Boy blushed a deep crimson.

"You think this is a dream? You mean you dreamed about doing that with me before?"

"Umm...yes, of course...I mean no! No! Of course not!" Ryouga stammered nervously.

"You mean you have a good enough imagination to imagine..." Akane pretended she was going to peel off her tunic again.

Ryouga stammered in embarrassment. "That was real. This is real. You're really real. We really..."

Akane started giggling, but stopped when Ryouga's eyes rolled back in his head and he fainted.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Soun stood alone at the graveside, hands opening and closing subconsciously, reaching for the child he could never reach again, wanting to hold her close and tell her everything would be alright, that she was his precious little girl. Genma had tried to budge his friend, but eventually gave up and trudged off.

Soun heard the crunch of feet in the snow behind him and turned, hoping it was Akane. Disappointment showed on his face and the pretty brunette took half a step backwards.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to intrude. I'm Miss Hinako from Furinkan High."

Soun was puzzled. The Hinako he knew was an intimidatingly over-endowed and aggressive woman. This Hinako was slender, with a softer, gentler beauty. In many ways she reminded Soun of his dead wife, Kumori, even though Hinako looked very little like her.

"No, no, you aren't intruding. I just hoped Akane had returned. It's good you came. It's good to see someone from the school."

There was a sorrow in Hinako's eyes that mirrored his own, but he didn't know what else to say. She reached up and gently touched his cheek. Soun felt some of the sorrow drain out of him, but he didn't realize that was more than just his imagination.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

A serious-looking pair of teenagers stared down at the grave. The girl shivered and grabbed the boy's hand. The warmth of her touch broke him out of his thoughts and he looked up to see her crying.

"Akane?"

"Sorry, Ryouga. So much for me being tough, huh? I barely knew Shinnosuke's grandfather. He seemed so energetic when we fought the Orochi. I guess I thought he was faking it when he claimed he was ill."

Ryouga knelt and brushed the stone clear with his free hand. "This says he lasted less than a month after the fight. He used the last of his strength, he gave up any chance of a cure to make sure Shinnosuke would live."

"If he'd just told us, we could have gotten more moss for him."

"But you almost died here. I don't think he wanted to risk anyone else's life. He was just glad his grandson would live."

"We should get some moss for Nabiki."

"I can't do it, Akane."

"What?"

"I can't let you risk your life. I don't know what I'd do if something happened. We barely succeeded last time, but now there's only two of us. I'm afraid, not for me, for you. P-chan isn't strong enough to pry you free from the Orochi's grasp and pull you to safety."

Ryouga noticed he was gripping Akane's hand a bit too tightly and eased the pressure. She kept her fingers interlaced with his.

"I hate being helpless, Ryouga. I have to do something. It's like when I lost my mom. There was nothing I could do. If only you could understand."

Akane stopped. Of course he understood. In a way, he'd already lost both his parents and anyone who turned into P-chan understood feeling weak and helpless. She gave Ryouga a hug.

"What was that for?"

"For being smart enough to tell me I'm being stupid without telling me I'm being stupid."

"Huh?"

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

"He's gone now and I'm alone again. I should hate you. I should hate both of you, for the way you kept me from him."

Only the low moan of the wind replied.

"But I can't hate anyone he loves," Hinako whispered as she looked down at the graves. One was new, the earth freshly turned, a reminder of a life cut short. Nabiki. One was old, but still well tended, the grave of someone gone but definitely not forgotten.

_I don't even know Mrs. Tendo's name, but when I touched him, I felt the pain he felt over losing her. The pain he still feels. I don't know if this ability is a curse or a gift._

Hinako looked down at herself, at a body not as emphatically adult as it used to be, but one that wouldn't revert to childlike form, and realized she didn't need to ask the question. She looked back up at the older gravestone, then reached forward, touching the cold stone, tracing the carved letters of the name.

"I love him, too, Mrs. Tendo. I see what he must have been when you were with him, what he could be, what he should be again. I won't try to make him forget you, I promise, but he has to accept this if he's ever going to be whole again. You know it's too soon for him to join you, just like it was too soon for your daughter. I'm sorry Nabiki never had a chance to do so many things."

"I nearly didn't get that chance myself, if it weren't for Happo..." Hinako's voice trailed away.

"Just what kind of man is Happosai?" Hinako growled as something dark festered inside. "He taught me a technique that let me borrow strength from others until I was strong enough to survive on my own, but he never taught it to you. He never did anything to save you." Hinako glanced at the newer grave. "He never even tried to save your daughter."

Again, only the wind answered.

Hinako turned and slowly walked away, carrying her own and other's sorrows.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Ukyou looked up at a clock that seemed to have slowed to a tenth its normal pace. There were no customers in her restaurant; the closed sign had hung in the window all day. It was a mistake. The bustle of the evening crowd might have distracted them from their thoughts instead of leaving this unending agony until they could sleep. Konatsu's attempts to fill the silence with cheerful words had seemed grating and hollow and he finally lapsed into silence.

She stared down at the grill.

_I don't know what I feel. Somehow, it doesn't seem real yet. I've only been to one funeral before._

It was her mother's and it had been in winter, too.

_I didn't understand. I was two, maybe three. I wish I remembered her. Daddy held my hand so tight, but he never cried. I saw the pain in his eyes and I wished I could make it go away._

She gazed at her fingers.

_Ranchan's grip felt just as strong and his eyes looked just as hollow._

They still did. He sat at the counter, aimlessly pushing pieces of okonomiyaki around on his plate. Ukyou couldn't bring herself to eat either.

_I wish I could make his pain go away, too. It's not Ranchan's fault. We did the best we could._

She had told him that several times and while his mind accepted it, she knew his heart didn't.

"Come on guys, cheer up," Ukyou forced a smile on her face even as she winced at the hollow words. All she got in return were blank stares. She wished that someone, anyone would do something to break the feeling of gloom. Unfortunately, she got her wish.

The door banged open and a short and annoyingly perky brunette to bounced in. "Does Ukyou Kuonji live here?"

The okonomiyaki chef glanced at the door. "I thought I left that locked." She turned back towards the shorter girl, but before she could answer, the newcomer gave a shriek of delight and glomped Konatsu.

"Pierre, I thought I'd never see you again! Are you a Mamono Hunter in training, too?

The clang of a dropped spatula echoed off the walls. Ukyou stared at the shorter girl, while Ranma made warding motions with his hands. The kitchen door burst open and Shampoo wheeled into main room.

"Leave Airen alone, Pipsqueak Girl." She brandished a bonbori menacingly.

Azusa yeeped and dodged behind Konatsu. Ranma's eyes bulged in confusion. Ukyou dropped another spatula. There were a few heartbeats of silence and then everyone started talking.

"I thought I was your Airen and what are you doing at Ucchan's?"

"I'm nobody's Airen and my name is not Pierre.""Pipsqueak Girl prepare for death."

"Who are you and what do you mean by Mamono Hunter in training?"

"Leave my darling Pierre alone, you aren't nearly cute enough for him."

After that, things got a little confusing for a while, but eventually Ukyou got an explanation from her visitor.

"Let me see if I have this straight. Your name is Azusa and my grandmother wants you to be some sort of assistant Mamono Hunter."

The shorter girl beamed and showed off the bracelet she'd named Babette.

"According to this letter you got from Grandma, my cousin Yohko has an assistant named Azusa. Yohko's cousin Ayako is also a Mamono Hunter and also has an assistant named Azusa. Is the only requirement for being an assistant that your name happens to be Azusa?"

"Nope, you also have to be cute like me."

"Not forget short, stupid, and annoying," added Shampoo.

"I wonder if the others try to swipe anything they think is cute," muttered Ranma.

"Help me, Lady Ukyou. I don't want to look this cute." In the span of a few seconds, Konatsu had been inflicted with an amazing amount of lace and bows he wasn't wearing before.

"If I catch grandmother, she's going to regret this," Ukyou groaned.

Ranma, Shampoo, and Konatsu offered to assist her.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

They had located the empty house right after they found the grave. There was a little dust, but it looked like someone had just left. It felt strange...wrong. Neither Ryouga nor Akane voiced their fear that something might have happened to Shinnosuke.

They ate dinner in silence and went to bed early.

Several hours later, Ryouga woke suddenly. Years of being on his own, often in dangerous situations, had heightened his instinct for sensing them. It never worked against Ranma, but the pigtailed boy never really intended to hurt him. Something was out there in the darkness, and Ryouga sensed its hatred.

He gently touched Akane's shoulder.

"Mmm, wha...?" She stopped, seeing him motion for silence. She heard the gentle rhythmic tapping of branches against the windows. Goosebumps formed on Akane's skin. None of the trees were close enough for their branches to touch the house even during a strong wind and there was no wind that night.

Akane gave a short involuntary scream when the windows shattered. Ryouga deflected most of the flying glass with his umbrella. The door made an unpleasant groaning noise as its boards warped and twisted. Ryouga placed himself between Akane and the door, and held his tattered umbrella in front of him. To anyone who hadn't seen Ryouga use it as a weapon, his actions would have appeared ludicrous.

"You see anything through the windows, Akane?"

"Leaves and branches. They're moving. They shouldn't be, but they're moving."

"Keep watching, but I think the monster is about to come through the door."

Ryouga was almost right, but when the door shattered the form that entered was clearly human. Shinnosuke's movements were stiff and jerky like a badly manipulated marionette. His eyes glowed with a strange greenish light. The broom he wielded had sprouted loathsome black vines that snaked backwards to connect directly into the veins of his arms.

He gave a high-pitched yell and launched himself at Ryouga. Shinnosuke's movements might appear awkward, but they were blindingly fast. If Ryouga hadn't faced Ranma's Kachu Tenshin Amaguriken he wouldn't have had a prayer of blocking the blows. As it was, he barely managed to parry the twirling broom with his umbrella. For a few moments the only sounds were the clack of the wooden weapons against each other and the breathing of the combatants. Ryouga knew he couldn't maintain this speed forever and advanced to lock their weapons together.

He expected to easily force the broom out of Shinnosuke's hands, but the Mamono seemed to be giving the boy added strength. But it was only the semblance of actual strength. Fueled by an inhuman rage, Shinnosuke was pushing bone and muscle past their normal limits. The bones in the boy's forearms cracked like dry sticks threatening to snap at any moment, but he didn't scream or flinch or reduce the effort he put into the fight. A strange feral grimace crossed Shinnosuke's face and Ryouga pulled back in shock. If he kept this up his opponent would cripple himself.

Shinnosuke used Ryouga's hesitation to hammer a series of blows to the other boy's face. The Lost Boy was much too tough for this to stop him, but the blows were brutal enough to stun him momentarily. As he flew backwards, Ryouga saw Akane step between them.

He had time to scream "No!" before he slammed into the wall and crashed to the floor.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Shinnosuke, it's me, Akane." She managed to keep the trembling out of her voice if not out of her knees. She prayed this would work. "You remember me. I first came here when I was a little girl. You saved me from the giant animals. You gave me the horn whistle so I'd be safe."

The boy's eyes flickered and some hint of recognition crossed his face. "Akane...I asked...if you could love me...you said...you said...but you chose him."

A green fire re-ignited in Shinnosuke's eyes as he remembered the last few nights, the sight of bodies intertwined, of the girl he loved joined with someone else.

"I'm sorry, Shinnosuke. I never wanted to hurt you."

He screamed in rage and the broom spun towards her head. Akane never found out if Shinnosuke could have resisted Ikari's control like Ryouga had resisted Aijou's. Several bandanas flew though the air. Hardened by the force of Ryouga's chi, the first pair sliced effortlessly through the vines binding Shinnosuke to his broom. The second pair diced the broom itself. Pieces of wooden weapon clattered to the floor and the boy slumped to his knees. The green fire in his eyes faded, but didn't disappear.

"Go," he whispered hoarsely, "Go now, while you still can. I can't fight this for long, but I don't want to hurt you, Akane. You have to go now."

The door and windows were still blocked by slowly writhing branches, but Ryouga knew what to do. He called "Bakusai Tenketsu" and touched the floor. The ground shattered thanks to the Breaking Point Technique, but Ryouga shielded the others from flying fragments with his own body. After a few repetitions, Ryouga stood in a chest deep hole.

"Akane, we have to go." He held out a hand towards the girl.

"But we have to help Shinnosuke."

"We can't banish the Mamono, we have to get help."

"You mean Ukyou," Akane replied with a bitter edge in her voice.

"Please...go...now...can't...fight..." Shinnosuke rasped.

Ryouga grabbed Akane and dragged her into the tunnel. There were the muffled sounds of detonating rock and Akane's protests and then Shinnosuke was alone.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

"The old ghoul wants to do what!"

"Is Amazon way, Ranma. If Shampoo can not be warrior then is time to die according to law."

"That...that's stupid."

"Would Ranma want live if no could fight? No martial arts ever."

That made him pause.

_What would I do if that happened to me? Everything I've done, my whole life is based around martial arts. Could I go on without the most important thing in my life?_

"Ranchan wouldn't quit that easy. When Happosai used that pressure point to make him weak, Ranchan kept trying till he found a way to get his strength back. He never quit, he never will."

"Is easy to say when you not in wheelchair, Spatula Girl. Shampoo no want to die, but old life is gone. Now Shampoo helpless and useless. Would be simple to let Great-Grandmother finish job."

"Thanks, Ucchan, but I don't know what I'd do. I hope I'd be strong enough to keep going. I got pretty desperate when Happosai did that to me. I couldn't have made it without all that help."

He paused for a moment.

"All that help learning the Hiryu Shouten Ha and getting my strength back and I was so happy I barely thanked anyone. I wouldn't have made it without you, Ucchan, or Ryouga and Akane and Pops and Tofu and even the old ghoul herself. I didn't even thank all you guys."

Ranma fell silent, staring at the cold uneaten okonomiyaki on his plate.

_And what did I ever give any of them back, except for those few words?_

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Shinnosuke was alone, but he was always alone, ever since his grandfather left him.

_It's good she left with...with...I can't remember his name._

He loved Akane, but he felt the hatred flowing through his veins, too. She had left him alone again and he couldn't even recall if he told her he loved her. It didn't matter anymore. All that mattered was that he stop the Mamono before it regained control.

His limbs were weak and trembling and agony flared through his abused muscles. Blood oozed from the torn places where the vines had grafted themselves to his arms. In spite of that, Shinnosuke made a pile of the remains of his broom, the umbrella Ryouga abandoned, stray bits of furniture, anything flammable that came easily to hand. He hoped the shreds of the umbrella would work as kindling. Shinnosuke struck one of the matches Ryouga left behind and held it to a strip of fabric. As it smoldered, he glanced at the intertwined branches blocking the windows and door. He didn't have enough strength to fight his way through anymore.

A small bitter laugh escaped his lips, a sound almost hidden by the crackling of the flames. Smoke began to fill the tiny house and the weary boy slumped in one of the corners. He was coughing now and his voice was low and rasping.

"Sorry...grandfather...sorry...Akane...too late..."

His eyes were burning and he pretended the flowing tears were because of the rising smoke.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Azusa was busy trying to steal anything small and cute. As soon as she was distracted, Konatsu used his ninja skills to steal it back. Their pace kept increasing and Konatsu found himself enjoying the battle of skill. For a moment, it distracted him from his problems.

Azusa's talent impressed him. She was definitely better at this than his stepmother and stepsisters. For a moment, he imagined Azusa in a bright pink ninja costume covered with bows and other frills.

He almost laughed out loud, it was actually fun. They were too busy to notice the other occupants of the restaurant. The tension that usually existed between Ukyou and Shampoo was subdued, for the moment at least, and Ranma remained strangely quiet. They discussed the threat Cologne might be to all of them. Shampoo insisted the others shouldn't endanger themselves, but that didn't stop them from offering help.

It wasn't till later Ukyou remembered Ranma hadn't boasted about how he would defeat the old ghoul. She did notice something else odd.

"Shampoo, you're actually calling Ranchan by his name, instead of constantly claiming him as your Airen."

Ukyou's heart beat faster.

_Did she finally give up on Ranchan?_

At the same time, Ukyou was concerned. She didn't want Konatsu forced into an unwanted marriage, either.

"Amazon law no allow more than one Airen, but no say what to do if Amazon defeated twice. If other outsider male show up they fight to the death. Winner is Airen then. Shampoo no can ask great-grandmother now. This not supposed to happen." Sadness plainly showed in Shampoo's face.

"You didn't answer my question, Shampoo."

Ukyou didn't think the girl would answer and she was almost right. Shampoo's voice sounded quiet and hesitant, a strong contrast to her usual brash confidence.

"Konatsu visit Shampoo in hospital. Worry about Shampoo. Help Shampoo even when she tell him not to. Maybe he do more to earn being Airen."

Neither girl noticed Ranma wince. He had excuses, good ones, but he didn't use them. He had saved Ukyou and Hinako and both times he'd been left exhausted. Instead, Ranma said nothing and maintained his silence the rest of the night.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

There was a thunderous crash and debris flew everywhere. Ryouga jumped out of the hole and turned to help Akane out. Even the Lost Boy's endurance had limits. He had tunneled farther than ever before and the flying rock fragments had hammered him the whole way. Ryouga had continued on willpower, ignoring pain and exhaustion. Now he more fell than knelt and the arm he used to pull Akane from the crater was trembling. Ryouga rolled on to his back and lay still. He barely had the strength to wipe away the sweat pouring into his eyes.

It was dark, but Akane saw lights beginning to flicker on. She didn't know how Ryouga managed to find her home but she was glad to be back. She heard people moving inside the house and froze for a moment. The only thing she wore was Ryouga's tunic, he wore no shirt, and her father would ask a lot of questions she wasn't very eager to answer.

She cupped some water from the koi pond and poured it over Ryouga's bare chest.

"Sorry." She frantically whipped on his pants, scooped up P-chan, cradled him in her arms and rushed towards the house. If she could make it inside, she wouldn't have to explain her lack of shoes.

She almost reached the door when Kasumi slid it open. Before Akane could say anything, Kasumi gripped her little sister in a crushing hug. Poor P-chan nearly suffocated.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

By the end of the evening, Ukyou had noticed Ranma's silence and suspected she knew why, but she failed to coax any real answers out of him. Now she sat alone in her room staring out into the night. She'd spent most of her life on her own and it wasn't till she'd found Ranma that she realized how lonely she was.

_I wasted all those years hating him and now I don't even know how to act like a girl any more. If I did, I could help Ranchan with what's eating away inside. He needs someone who can help him and I don't even know what to do, what to say._

_If I really was a guy, I could tough it out and pretend it didn't matter, but it does. Every time he hurts, I hurt, too. I want him to be happy. What kind of fiancée am I if I don't even know how to make him stop hurting?_

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Ranma lay on his futon and stared at the ceiling.

_They'd be better off without me. Ucchan, Akane, all of them. All I can do is fight and I'm not even good enough at that to keep people from getting hurt. They'd be better off if they never met me._

It was easy, almost comforting to fall into the cycle of blame. His father never accepted responsibility for his own failures so the blame passed to Ranma. If the technique failed it was Ranma's fault for not trying hard enough. If they were caught stealing food, it was Ranma's fault for not being quick enough or quiet enough. Genma taught his son nothing about women, but when Ranma blundered verbally, his father blamed him for upsetting the woman.

Ranma's natural store of confidence had kept him going, but there were limits to it. He had never matched Ryouga's power, but Ranma was capable of the Shishi Hokoudan, the burst of chi energy powered by sorrow and depression. He pretended his father's words didn't matter, but they hurt worse than any beating he received in a fight.

Akane's words hurt, too. She'd been the one friendly face when he first reached the Tendo home, the first friendly face since Ucchan, and then she'd hurt him twice. The first was an accident after their sparring, when she told him she was glad she'd been beaten by a girl, and wounded him worse than she ever meant.

_The stupid curse had just happened. I almost screamed that I was a boy and ran._

He didn't know it, but that was the root of his need to criticize Akane's looks and cooking and everything else. He was raised to be a man among men, and it had cost him so much and now he wasn't even a man half the time. Pain, anger, and confusion had twisted Akane's innocent remark into an attack on who he was and Ranma had fought back verbally.

The second verbal wound was when Akane called him a pervert after **she** walked in on him in the bath.

_It ain't like I coulda stopped my body from reacting._

And since then she continued to use the word and it hurt because her opinion did matter to him. She used that word if another girl glomped him or even offered him lunch.

_She even calls me a pervert sometimes when I try to be nice to her. And she's gotta hate me._

She had told him as much and Ranma had lost count of the times she rejected him or the engagement.

_Not that I treat her any better. I told her she was cute when she smiled, but all I do is make Akane angry or sad and I take everybody else for granted. Akane's right, what happened to Shampoo, what happened to Nabiki, what I nearly did to Ucchan, it is all my fault._

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

It should have been comforting being in her own bed, in her own house, wearing her own pajamas. It should have felt warm and safe. It felt cold and empty and lonely.

_I can't believe she's gone._

Akane couldn't remember a time when Nabiki wasn't around. Her older sister kept to herself, but she'd always been there.

P-chan bweed sadly, hoping to distract Akane.

"Tha...thanks P-chan," she smiled sadly, "Guess I should call you R-chan, huh." She laughed, but it wasn't a happy laugh.

"I...I never even visited her in the hospital. I was too scared. It...it reminded me too much of when I lost Mom. I was afraid and now it's too late to visit, too late to ever see her again. We take people for granted, we assume they'll always be there, and then we find out too late that we're wrong."

Holding a pet for comfort was no longer enough. Akane pulled out a thermos of hot water. Black hide shifted, changing to tanned skin and she held Ryouga in her arms.

"A...A...Akane, I...I haven't got any clothes on."

"Shh, you want my dad to hear that?"

Ryouga eeped and fell silent.

"Hold me, Ryouga, please just hold me."

He wrapped his arms around her and wished she could be happy again.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Breakfast at the Tendo house was unpleasantly quiet. Only Genma ate heartily and without the distraction of Ranma's squabbles it was obvious just how big of a glutton the man could be.

In the past, Kasumi had managed to distract people from their problems with a silly comment or something. This time she couldn't think of anything to say. She decided to turn on the television to drown out the noises of Genma's eating binge.

That was one of her worse ideas.

Akane tensed as soon as she saw the screen. Behind the reporter, blackened tree trunks thrust out of the earth like twisted claws trying to tear the clouds and clutch the sky.

"...can see, the fire is still burning. We do not yet have a full estimate of the damage done to the forest. Fortunately, Ryugenzawa is uninhabited, and the nearby villages..."

While the reporter droned on, Akane bolted for the bathroom. Kasumi followed and heard the noise of retching through the door.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

The next few weeks at Furinkan High were oddly quiet.

Hinako returned to teaching, but she acted much quieter and somewhat withdrawn. She was neither the aggressive disciplinarian nor the silly child the students were used to.

Kuno still attempted an occasional attack on Ranma, but those ended in moments and there wasn't much sport in betting how long the fight would last. Kuno was a superb swordsman and his first fight with Ranma had been his best. Since then, his performance against Ranma had deteriorated noticeably. It almost felt like the Blue Thunder wasn't trying anymore.

Akane began carrying P-chan with her everywhere. She was far too skilled a martial artist for the school administration to stop her. She also ignored Ranma and Ukyou, refusing to even admit their existence anymore. The only times you saw behind her mask of indifference were the few times her pet wandered off.

Ranma almost sleepwalked through his days. He built an invisible wall around his emotions and he wouldn't let anyone inside. Ukyou continued trying to reach him, but discouragement showed on her face. Still, she kept beating herself against that wall.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

The fire had been inconvenient, but Ikari wasn't concerned. It couldn't sense the part of it that had infested Ryugenzawa, but so long as any bit of it survived, Ikari could reclaim the forest later. Of more concern were the ones it had almost had in its power.

It intended to learn from the mistakes of the other Mamonos. Aijou had controlled people, too, but it had made so many mistakes. It badly underestimated it opponents, it barely used the ones it controlled, but its worst mistake was letting the Mamono Hunter and her guardian get close enough to harm it.

Haradachi had done better, showing more patience, and being smart enough to flee when the battle turned against it. It made only made one mistake, but that was enough for it to fail.

Ikari had no intention of repeating those errors. It would have to stay close to maintain control of its puppets, for some of them hated themselves as much as they did other people and that required extra effort to keep them in line. But it could use them as a living shield, keeping the Mamono Hunter and her allies far enough away that they could not harm Ikari.

Unlike the previous Mamonos, this one had a plan to finish off the Mamono Hunter. Unfortunately, it would need to leave the enjoyable warmth of the greenhouse and face the winter cold that slowed, but did not harm the creature.

It would be like a game of shogi. Pieces captured by either side could be brought back into play under the new owner's control. The enemy controlled some of the most powerful pieces, but that could and would be changed, plus Ikari had the advantage of numbers and would be choosing the place of battle. It had even found a use for the one Kuno it couldn't control directly.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo


	6. Ikari Part 3

Mamono Hunter Ukyou Chapter 3

Ikari: Roots of Hatred

Part 3

By Edward A. Simons

Based on characters and situations created by Takahashi Rumiko. Ranma 1/2 and characters copyright Shogakukan, Kitty Animation Circle, and Takahashi Rumiko. Devil Hunter Yohko and characters copyright NCS, Toho Company, LTD., and Mad House. This story revised 2004 by Edward Simons.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Everyone is a moon, and has a dark side which he never shows to anybody."

Mark Twain

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

It was rather cold to be outside during lunch, even colder to be sitting on the bare concrete beneath one of the trees. Ukyou pulled a bento box out of her school satchel.

"Here you go, Ranchan. It's your favorite - food."

"Thanks," he replied listlessly. He placed it on the pavement, and stared aimlessly upwards.

"Ranchan?"

"I'll eat it. Later." In a single languid move, he sprang to the top of the retaining wall around the school.

The sky was gray with scattered wisps of white scattered across it. Below was gray concrete, scoured free of all but shreds of snow by the biting wind. Barren black trees stretched from earth to sky, as bleak and lifeless as the rest of the empty scene. A city drained of life and color. Ranma exhaled, saw the whiteness of his breath fade away as if it had never been.

He heard Ukyou gasp as the door to the school banged open, turned slowly to see Hiroshi and Daisuke, his two sort-of friends, approaching.

"I hope we haven't interrupted something," Daisuke said softly.

"Actually, an interruption would probably be good," Ukyou replied.

Hiroshi ignored them both, strode across the schoolyard and pointed an accusing finger up at Ranma. "So this is where you've been hiding. Get down here where I can talk to you."

Ranma gave an almost imperceptible shrug and stepped off the wall, landing directly in front of Hiroshi, then turned eyes that looked slate-gray instead of their normal vivid blue on the other boy.

Hiroshi took a half-step backward, swallowed, and spoke again. "I shoulda said this weeks ago, but what did you do to Miss Hinako? She used to be this total babe, but she's not near as stacked as before."

"Hiroshi, just shut up." Daisuke was normally the quieter of the two, but he wasn't acting that way now. Ukyou and Hiroshi stared in surprise and even Ranma showed a slight reaction. "Hinako doesn't turn into a kid and need to drain our chi anymore, either," Daisuke continued. "Besides, it's not like she was gonna do anything with you anyway."

"Oh yeah?" Hiroshi spluttered.

"Nice comeback," Daisuke replied.

"Hey, I've had lots of girls. The only reason I've haven't nailed her is...I...um, 'cause I'm way too busy with other girls."

No one bothered to reply.

"Hey, remember those Chinese twins, Pink and Mink?"

"That's Link," Ukyou commented dryly.

"Yeah, I knew that," Hiroshi replied. "Like I was saying I drilled both Link and Mink all night long and left 'em begging for more."

No one else said a thing.

"And then...then...there was that cheerleading chick, Mari...Mariko, yeah that was the name. I screwed her and her whole cheerleading squad. And...and...most of the babes at that girl's school, St. Hebereke. And..."

"Are you done yet?" Daisuke asked.

"Uh, yeah, sure." Hiroshi retreated back towards the school and disappeared inside.

"Nailed? Drilled? Screwed?" Ukyou commented. "Is the idiot trying to make love or furniture?"

"Coulda been worse, at least he wasn't comparing himself to an elephant," Daisuke replied.

"More like a jackass." Then a brief hint of color appeared on Ukyou's cheeks. "Wait, you weren't talking about intelligence."

"Sorry, guys," Daisuke continued. "Hiroshi's my friend, but he can be a real jerk sometimes. I guess he hasn't figured out that the ones doing the most boasting are the ones doing the most lying and the least of anything else. We know better."

Ukyou blushed even deeper as she recalled her and Ranma's accidental meeting of Daisuke and Yuka at the love hotel. "Actually, we weren't..."

But they didn't hear her attempted explanation.

"Listen, Ranma, I know you never listen to advice, but I'm gonna waste my time anyway. You've got a real nice girl here." Hiroshi gestured briefly towards Ukyou. "I don't know what's eating you, but can't you see you're tearing her to bits. Even you can't be that dense."

Ranma blinked in confusion.

Daisuke sighed. "Ranma, you're as hopeless at this as I am at martial arts." He wrote an address on a card and handed it to Ranma, who stared at it blankly.

"It's a karaoke place. You know, where you can go and sing along with the background tapes. Take Ukyou. Have fun. You do know what a date is, don't you?"

"What?"

"Sometimes I wonder just how dense you are, Ranma. It's got private rooms. Private soundproofed rooms. You still don't get it, do you?"

Ranma shook his head.

"I know you can't have much money even without Nabiki bleeding you dry. A karaoke place may not be as nice as a love hotel, but it's a lot cheaper. You can even sing if you want to. Ukyou will understand, right."

Ukyou's eyes got wide. Her cheeks burned. She tried to cover her face with her hands. She didn't say no.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

"What that, Airen?"

Konatsu was struggling with a rather large package. He eased it onto the counter and took a deep breath before answering.

"I am not your Airen. It's something from Lady Ukyou's grandmother."

"You rather Shampoo call you Pervert Boy, Airen? Open box."

"We should wait until she returns from school."

"You clean whole store twice today. Is nothing to do and Shampoo bored. Shampoo need something to do or Shampoo going to scream. Promise to no hurt anything."

"Well..."

But the girl was already tearing the package open. It was a computer, which Konatsu got stuck setting up, and another copy of the printouts about being a Mamono Hunter. Shampoo flipped through it eagerly, glad for something to do.

"Airen, this say Yoma ring will let Mamono Hunter heal others." The excited Amazon spun her wheelchair towards the door, but stopped abruptly when the ninja intercepted her.

"What you doing? Shampoo have to..."

"Shampoo have to not get killed by great-grandmother. I'll go. I'll tell Lady Ukyou. But you have to promise something."

Shampoo paused. The boy appeared quite serious.

"Promise what, Airen?"

"Promise that if she heals you, you'll never attack her."

"Shampoo owe debt to Spatula Girl for hiding her. Shampoo promise."

"And promise you won't use any magic or potions on her or Ranma."

"Shampoo never use potions in first place and Shampoo no use magic more than Japanese people," the girl replied bitterly.

"But you have used it."

"Shampoo promise." The Amazon was getting impatient. "They no work right, anyway."

"And you won't try to trick Ranma into marrying you."

The girl in the wheelchair looked very sad. "Ranma good man. Shampoo no give up yet. But Shampoo no want man who no want her. Promise no use tricks to get Ranma, but never promise to give up."

"That's good enough." He smiled and prepared to leave.

"Konatsu?" That got his attention. Shampoo never called him by his actual name. He paused and looked back.

"You're a good man, too, Konatsu. You stand up for your friends. You helped me even though it could cost you quite a bit, even though I've done so many stupid things. And you trust me to keep my word after all the times I tried to trick people. I don't deserve that. Thank you."

He didn't recall until later that she had spoken to him in excellent Japanese.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Tatewaki Kuno stood alone on the roof of the school building. He wore no coat; petty concerns like the weather were unimportant to a true samurai. Actually, he barely felt the cold; so much was on his mind.

Kuno had felt ill for the past few weeks and he was certain that was his sister's doing. He never felt the sting of the thorns, only their poison burning in his gut. Still, he repeatedly threw off the effects till finally she ceased trying and he was free.

He was also free from Nabiki Tendo. More than once, he said that he hated her and he meant it. He knew some of his classmates thought he would eventually marry the girl. Their fuzzy thinking seemed based on the idea that he had money and she loved it. The fools hadn't figured out that Nabiki allowing them to bet on it guaranteed the marriage would have never happened. She was clever enough to know there were limits on how much she could influence him.

_I hated Nabiki Tendo. No, I still hate Nabiki Tendo even though she's been dead for weeks. She fed my baser nature with her photographs and her lies. She used me, fed my addiction, turned me from the true path of the samurai. She dishonored her own sister Akane by the revealing photos she sold me and she helped me dishonor myself by buying them._

He and Akane had so much in common, but what really attracted Kuno was her fiery personality, her passion in everything that she did. The girl had a warrior's spirit, and that directness of manner was a refreshing change from those he grew up with.

_Sasuke is a spineless, spiritless coward. His only skill is groveling. His every answer a mere repetition of what he thinks you want to hear. Father and sister hide from life, playing their parts, wearing masks of madness, and hoping no one will see their true selves._

But over time, those masks had become their true faces. His father bounced from one irrational whim to another, his only constant themes being his obsessions with haircutting and Hawaii. Kodachi deluded herself that she could force others to love her.

But Akane was a flame of emotions, hiding none of her feelings. Only to himself did Kuno admit he felt sure that passion would also be demonstrated in the bedroom. That was why Nabiki had been able to control him with the revealing photos. At least in his dreams, he could share that passion with Akane.

_Even if she hates me, that is far better than cold blank indifference and I'm sure I can persuade her to love me. She loves martial arts and I gave her the opportunity to display her skill in front of the whole school. She is unsure of her beauty and I manipulated things so dozens of boys were willing to fight to be in her presence every morning._

Then Ranma came and all that ended.

_Akane loves Shakespeare, like me she must sense the greater things the man spoke about life and death and love and honor and passion. I saw how hard she fought for the lead in Romeo and Juliet and I fought to be her Romeo. Instead, Ranma turned the greatest of tragedies into a farce and that was a tragedy, too._

But more than one person bore the name of Ranma, for that was also the name of the pig-tailed girl. Her temperament was as fiery as her hair and Kuno longed to feel her burning passion. She was more direct than even Akane and her every move was graceful.

Kuno never publicly denied his love for Akane, for he loved her still, but a brighter, fiercer love possessed his heart. She filled his thoughts by day and his dreams by night and he could not bear to live without her.

One dark thing marred his dream. He had seen the change, had felt her form shift while he held her close. He tried to deny it, but his senses would not, could not lie to him that many times. Both Ranmas were the same and yet they were not. That was why Kuno hated the other boy and wished to destroy him, but never dared to use his full skills again after their first fight.

_Ranma has to be a girl cursed by dark sorceries to turn into a male, as much a victim of these vile and vicious Mamonos as mine own self. She has to. I can't be in love with another man. I couldn't bear to have my life be just some pathetic joke for the witless morons that surround me. Even my bokken, my weapon as a samurai, would become a source of ribald joking as they saw a crude symbolism to it._

He'd grown reluctant to wield or even carry it any more.

_Ranma must be a girl, for sake of my honor, my love and my very sanity._

He couldn't bear to think of the alternative.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Ranma sat at his desk, still staring blankly at the card Daisuke had given him. Finally, he realized someone had called his name. He glanced up, but it wasn't the teacher, in fact, lunch hour wasn't quite over yet.

To his right, Ukyou sat quietly. Her cheeks were crimson, and she looked down at her hands, where she twirled one index finger around the other. As if sensing his gaze, she glanced over at him, then at the card in his hand, then looked him in the eyes. She swallowed, gave an almost infinitesimal nod, and turned so red he swore he could feel the heat radiating off her.

Before he could ask why she was acting so strangely, Ranma heard the voice call his name again. He glanced to his left, but Akane wasn't in her seat.

_Maybe she's sick. I hope Ucchan don't catch whatever she's got._

Someone bounced a pencil case off the back of his head. He glanced behind him. He dimly remembered the girl sitting there was one of the girls that used to hang around with Nabiki.

"What do you want?" he whispered tiredly.

The girl held out a sealed note. Ranma hesitated, then finally took it. He sighed and tore the paper open. His eyes showed no emotion as he scanned it and crumpled it in a ball.

The boy pushed back his chair and stood.

"Ranchan, what's wrong?"

"Nothing, I just gotta do something."

"I'll come, too."

"No." Ranma's voice sounded hollow, but his eyes showed pain. That pain only intensified when he saw Ukyou's reaction.

"S...sorry, Ucchan. I gotta do this alone. Thanks." Ranma trudged off with the same eagerness shown by prisoners going to their execution. The paper remained wadded in his hand.

Ukyou noticed the card lying on the desk, where Ranma had forgotten it. She picked it up hesitantly and tucked down the front of her shirt, then looked longingly out the door, willing herself not to cry.

_I practiced being a guy for ten years, so it ought to be easy by now. Ten years to pretend I wasn't lonely. I just have something in my eyes, that's why they're so moist._

She did. It was Ranma.

Ukyou opened her bento box. Her hands moved automatically, manipulating the chopsticks to bring the food to her mouth. It was delicious, but she couldn't really taste it anymore.

She stopped, realizing she was starting to act like Ranma. Ukyou briefly considered spatulating her fiancé upside the head. While that would make for a satisfying release of tension for her, it wouldn't help him.

_Besides, if I'm really gonna prove I'm a better choice than the other girls, I need to think of a real solution. If only I knew what to do. Please, Kami-sama, let me find a way to reach him._

She glanced at the clock. _Still a few minutes left for lunch period. Maybe a quick walk around the school grounds, let the weather clear my thoughts so maybe then I can come up with a plan._

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Akane, are you alright?" Yuka's voice echoed oddly off the walls of the school bathroom.

The Tendo girl was bent over the sink, both hands resting on the sides. "I'm fine. Thanks for asking." Akane turned on the faucet.

"People who are feeling fine don't leave class suddenly and spend several minutes throwing up their lunch. Now are you really sure you're okay?"

"Sure." Akane laughed nervously. "It must have been something I ate." With Akane's well-known skill at cooking, that would have been a likely explanation, but as Akane spoke she silently counted days.

"Really, you don't need to worry," she continued. "This is nothing compared to being kidnapped by another weirdo or being glomped by the old pervert." She didn't mention Happosai's name for fear the shriveled lecher might appear. It was odd that no one had seen him for a while, but nobody missed him.

"Okay, but you have to tell me what happened during the week and a half you were gone. It's been over a month and you still haven't talked about it."

Akane blushed. "Um...there were a lot of surprises and I, uh, learned some things I didn't know before." Akane paused before she said too much. "I enjoyed most of it, but the last part..."

"Of course, I'm sorry about your sister."

She didn't correct Yuka; she wasn't ready to talk about Shinnosuke. She hadn't seen Nabiki's last moments, she hadn't had to abandon her and flee, like she had the boy. Akane feigned cheerfulness and the friends chatted for a little longer and then Yuka hurried off to softball practice.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Ikari uttered a strange noise, a chuckle that sounded like sap popping in a fire.

Principal Kuno, the man with the tiny tree on his head, had proved far more useful than the creature had ever dreamed. The madman was so strange no one noticed him acting stranger and the sunglasses he habitually wore masked the green glow in his eyes that would hint at his possession.

As headmaster of the school, he could accomplish things that more than made up for his feeble combat skills. His office was filled with the tropical foliage he adored, and far larger than Ikari had ever imagined. The gymnasium would not be needed, there was more than ample space in the office.

At the Mamono's command, Principal used the school intercom to summon one of the sports clubs to his office for announcements. Their natural hatred for the sadistic schoolmaster made most easy prey for Ikari. Its other puppets, Kodachi and Mousse, effortlessly subdued the rest.

Once one team was controlled a second was summoned - swimming, volleyball, rugby, soccer, sumo, track, kendo, hockey, gymnastics, judo, tennis, basketball, bowling, lacrosse, golf, and the dreaded combat cheerleaders. Soon only the softball club remained. Ikari couldn't smile, but it looked forward with pleasure to all the damage that could be inflicted by those spiked shoes and wooden clubs they used.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

There were two places he could count on finding Ukyou. One was her restaurant and one was Furinkan High. The school was much easier to access. Besides, he didn't know the people at her restaurant. They hadn't ignored him for years.

Gosunkugi's dreams had been smashed to pieces leaving only vengeance. He had dedicated his life to learning magic only to discover he was a hollow one. Magic couldn't work for him anymore than it could work on him. Spells he attempted would always fail. Potions and elixirs he prepared would be ineffective. Any item that held magic of its own would seldom if ever work right for him, and usually not for long.

But Ukyou had received powers she never asked for. Gosunkugi didn't stop to wonder if she wanted the power or the responsibility that came with it, he just hated the girl for having what he could never, ever have.

Even if magic didn't work for him, his repeated failures at alchemy left Gosunkugi with enough knowledge of chemical processes to produce some interesting and useful things. Chemical weapons were surprisingly easy to make if you knew what you were doing and martial arts would be mostly useless at stopping them.

When Gosunkugi was alone he tried practicing a maniacal laugh like those anime villains he'd seen on television. Even he was forced to admit the results sounded more pathetic than menacing. He laughed anyway and it felt good.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Two people stood on the roof Furinkan High.

"Alright Kuno, what do you want?" Ranma sighed.

"I had hoped to delay until the cherry blossoms bloomed, but this needs must do for timing. Do you not think the trees are beautiful, with the soft coating of snow on their branches? They form a living poem in black and white."

"Yeah, right, Kuno. We gonna fight or what?" Ranma's usual enthusiasm for martial arts was gone. He sounded weary, like he only wanted to end the confrontation.

"Do not rush me, Ranma Saotome. I have two poems. Black ink on white paper. They do not match the beauty of the view, but my feeble skills shall have to do."

Ranma briefly wondered what Kuno was talking about. It sounded like it might be related to Martial Arts Calligraphy. It took only a moment to decide he didn't care what Kuno was saying or why. It wasn't worth the effort.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Furinkan High's address system repeatedly called for Ranma Saotome to report to Principal Kuno's office, but the boy didn't show up.

_Has the guardian sensed the trap?_

There were reasons Ikari had waited this long. Ranma was a formidable martial artist, but with this many minions under its control, even he couldn't have escaped the ambush. The Mamono would much rather have him under control instead of aiding the Mamono Hunter, that way less of its minions would need replacing later.

The creature prodded Principal Kuno to call Ukyou Kuonji instead. As the minutes dragged by it became obvious that she wasn't coming either.

_Obviously they have detected my plan._

The ninja Sasuke could prove useful after all. "Go to the roof," Ikari commanded. "I will see through your eyes." If the Mamono Hunter or her guardian were on the grounds it would know. Even if they freed the little ninja from Ikari's control, it would be able to sense where it occurred and send stronger minions to attack.

It then addressed Principal Kuno. "Keep calling for them." Ikari was sure they weren't coming, but there was no point in revealing that it knew that. Better to play the fool than to be one.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Ranma stared blankly at the two pieces of paper.

"What's this stuff?"

"It's called haiku, Ranma. It's poetry."

"So what? I don't know nothing about poetry."

"Just read them, Ranma."

Ranma glanced at the first.

"Red embers smolder

Passion waiting to ignite

The flames of our love"

Ranma frowned and glanced at Kuno's other poem.

"Snow covers the trees

Nature's gentle poetry

Forms my final view"

_None of this makes any sense. I thought Kuno wanted a fight, and now the idiot is scribbling poetry._

"Kuno, I ain't got time for this." He sighed in exasperation, his breath a brief puff of whiteness in the chill air.

"No, Ranma. Surely now is the time for decision. A time to reveal our true faces. A time to end deception and delusion. A time..."

Ranma interrupted before the taller boy could finish. "Kuno, I'm tired and hungry. I just wanna go finish lunch, so tell me what this is about or I'm outta here."

The papers dropped from Ranma's grip and a fickle breeze wafted them towards the edge of the roof.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Gosunkugi's voice had grown hoarse from repeatedly screaming out his challenge to Ukyou.

"Where is she?" he rasped. First he'd been told Ukyou was outside, but he hadn't found her there. When he returned to the classroom, the other students claimed she had come and gone already, and he reluctantly returned outside.

But she still wasn't there. Gosunkugi fingered his satchel, full of the fruits of his chemical knowledge.

"They're just playing me for a fool. She isn't here at all. Maybe if I go back to the classroom and issue my challenge there, someone will tell her."

But even if he'd stood on a desk and screamed the challenge, they might have ignored Gosunkugi. He had that kind of effect on people. The skinny boy considered giving up and slinking home when he saw Ukyou round the corner of the building.

Finally, he had a chance to prove his superiority. Gosunkugi tried the laugh again, but the cold air on his abused throat made him collapse to one knee in a fit of coughing. As he rasped for breath, Ukyou approached.

"Hey, are you okay? I can go get the school nurse."

She didn't see the feelings burning in his eyes.

"No!" he squeaked. "I won't accept pity. I'll show you. I'll show them all. I am too a sorcerer. I can do magic."

With that he pulled out a greenish flask and hurled it towards the unsuspecting girl.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Kuno watched his poems drift away like dead leaves on the wind. He was in agony and Ranma didn't seem to care. Ranma didn't even seem to realize it. Kuno hung his head for a moment and when he looked up, Ranma stood balanced on the edge of the roof. He appeared ready to jump.

"Wait, Ranma! There is something I must know."

Ranma almost didn't stop. Something was happening down below between Ukyou and Gosunkugi. Still, no one could possibly be in danger from a pathetic wimp like that. Ranma slowly turned to face Kuno, nearly slipping on a patch of ice, but he didn't reply and the silence lay there between them.

"Ranma, I must know. Which is the real Ranma? The pigtailed goddess? Or the boy?"

Ranma gave a short unpleasant laugh. "So ya finally figured it out. Only you'd be dumb enough not to know I was a guy. How many times did I change?"

Kuno's face looked as frozen as the weather, but something inside was burning. He had not planned for this. Either Ranma would be a girl and choose the poem as fiery as her temperament and Kuno would live and love and die for her. Or Ranma would be a boy and Kuno would end his shame as required of a samurai in the ritual suicide called seppuku. Kuno had brought his bokken. The wooden practice sword was only used if the person committing seppuku was especially dishonorable. It was a much slower and more painful death than that offered by the clean sharpness of a real sword.

But after the way Ranma spurned both poems and honor, Kuno no longer felt the desire to end his own life. He loosed an incoherent scream and charged towards the one he had loved and hated, the betrayer who had destroyed his life.

Ranma had already forgotten Kuno. He heard a piercing wail immersed in pain and knew it was Ukyou. He ignored the weariness in his soul and drew on something deeper. He was on the edge of the roof, already turning towards her, not thinking of himself or his own danger.

Tatewaki Kuno had the skill and power to carve trees in half with his wooden sword. This time he used the point. The bokken entered Ranma's back near his right shoulder blade and penetrated all the way through his chest. It hurt too much to scream, and Ranma slid bonelessly off the end of the sword and plunged several stories to the pavement below.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

The flask shattered against the ground, emitting a rising cloud of green that enveloped Ukyou. She staggered back with watering eyes. There was a tightness in her chest and she found it difficult to breathe. Reflex took over as Ukyou pulled her battle spatula, holding it in a defensive stance.

Gosunkugi hurled another flask, this one filled with a clear fluid. Ukyou ignored her blurred vision and shortness of breath as she swung her battle spatula, attempting to deflect the second missile. The moment her weapon struck this flask it detonated, converting the weapon into a twisted lump of metal.

A shard clipped her cheek, leaving a line of blood. Other bits of jagged metal peppered her between her shoulders and her knees. Ukyou screamed, though the noise was hidden among the sound of the explosion. She fell backwards on to the concrete, dropping the twisted remains of her weapon.

The force of the detonation slapped Gosunkugi prone while windows shattered along the side of the building. There were a few moments of stunned silence before some of the students began screaming. They were used to fights, but not explosions that weren't accompanied by battle cries and multicolored displays of chi power.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

The Principal's voice droning over the loudspeakers made Akane want to scream. It was bad enough that she couldn't keep down anything that she ate, but to have to hear the repetitious calling of Ranma and Ukyou's names over the sound system was too much.

"Doesn't that idiot understand those two perverts are going at it like rabbits in some disused corner of the building?" she growled.

"Bwee," P-chan agreed, then stared down at the floor.

"Ryouga, stop that. Look me in the eyes." Anyone walking into the girls' restroom would have suspected the Akane's sanity; she spoke like the pig understood her.

The little pig peered up forlornly.

"Quit blaming yourself. Even if that's why I'm not feeling so good, it's not like you forced me or anything."

The pig reluctantly shook its head no, but Akane knew she needed to return Ryouga to his normal form before they could work this out.

Then the explosion and following screams interrupted Akane's thoughts.

"What was that?" She glanced down at P-chan, whose worried expression matched her own. "I guess you won't be much help like that."

She placed the little pig in the sink and turned on the hot water. In a moment, a naked and rather embarrassed Ryouga stood before her. Akane pulled a set of the Lost Boy's clothes out of her satchel and tossed them to him. Ryouga dove into the nearest stall and started dressing frantically.

Akane smiled at his shyness, then worry creased her face again. "So what are we going to do now?"

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Cologne had waited a long time for events to fall into place. She had convinced herself this was simply patience. An Amazon elder would never attempt to delay her duty.

Ranma and Ukyou were at school. The ninja Konatsu had left on some sort of errand and the restaurant was closed. Shampoo was finally alone. Amazon law required that Shampoo die, but there was no reason to kill the others and Cologne knew she might have to if they were there to protect Shampoo. She took another gulp of sake from the bottle she carried.

Her great-granddaughter sat there, earnestly locked in battle with the computer, so absorbed that she wouldn't notice what was coming.

Cologne drained the last drops of sake and moved towards her only living relative.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Sasuke's report was too pleasing for words. Ikari made a strange cackling noise like sap popping in a bonfire. This would be far easier than it had planned. It merely needed to finish what others had started. Both the Mamono Hunter and her most skilled defender had been severely injured by people Ikari did not control.

The monster waved a limb towards its lesser minions, the students from the athletic clubs. Quick commands were given and the horde of student athletes was sent into action. These lesser minions would almost surely overwhelm the pair. In their damaged condition, the Mamono Hunter and her guardian had virtually no chance.

The creature then focused on Sasuke. "You cannot fight, but go, observe, tell me of their fate."

It kept Kodachi and Mousse in reserve. If the Mamono Hunter somehow survived, they could be sent to finish the job.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Ryouga and Akane peered out the door of the girls' restroom. Fortunately, none of the many students passing by decided to use it.

"Ryouga, there's something wrong. Look at their eyes."

"They're glowing green, like..."

"Like Shinnosuke," Akane finished for him.

That made Ryouga feel depressed, which was probably a good thing. Depression increased the force of his chi blasts.

"It looks like they came from the Principal's office," the girl added.

Ryouga took her word for it, he still couldn't find his way around the school on his own. "Do we go there or do we follow them?"

"I'm not sure. We can't split up, not with your sense of direction." She glanced to the right. "They came from the Principal's Office," she repeated, "so the monster is probably there." She looked back at the horde, spotting a girl with long brown hair.

"Yuka," Akane whispered. She doubted that was the only friend the creature controlled. "We're going after them. Principal Kuno can look after himself."

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Ukyou wanted to scream, but her throat and her lungs hurt too much to try and it came out as more of a whimper. Ranma lay unmoving in a pool of blood. Ukyou's breath came in gasps as she crawled to her fiancé and wrapped her arms around his still form, crying the whole time.

She barely heard Ikari's puppets thunder towards them, barely saw through blurry eyes the forest of legs that threatened to leave them as reddened pulp on the pavement. Her only hope of escape was if she abandoned Ranma.

"Live," the girl rasped. "Please, Ranchan," she gasped, fighting for breath as a vise tightened across her chest. "I love you." She brought her face close, seeing blood foam forming in the corner of his mouth, and kissed him anyway.

Ukyou appeared helpless and his hated rival Ranma had fallen from the sky like a present from an avenging kami. It should have been Gosunkugi's moment of triumph, but he had never felt smaller and more petty. He wished the ground would open up and swallow him.

The skinny boy was torn from his remorse by the realization that the angry mob was about to trample him as well. Gosunkugi desperately hurled the flasks of chemicals. He wasn't thinking of defense, only that he did not want to still be carrying them when they detonated. The noise of shattering glass was lost amid explosions and screams.

Someone inside the building panicked and pulled the fire alarm, which only added to the chaos.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

They were passing a second story window that had survived the first blast when a chain of detonations shattered it. Reflexively, Ryouga spun away from it while using his body as a shield to protect Akane, the girl he loved.

He grunted as bits of wood and glass flayed his back.

"Ryouga, are you okay?"

He ignored her question and turned to looked out the remainder of the window. Below, clouds of greenish gas drifted across the school grounds and unconscious bodies lay everywhere.

"Hey, let me see." Akane peered over his shoulder. The scene below felt oddly nostalgic. Once she had been the center of attention at Furinkan High, fighting dozens of athletes every morning, defeating them easily, and leaving their unconscious forms strewn across the pavement. That had changed once Ranma arrived and now she almost missed the fights she used to hate.

Gosunkugi's panicked actions had turned the possessed athletes from a solid wall into a series of smaller mobs. His gas bombs and explosives felled several, but most ignored their injuries and returned to the fight. A handful lay unconscious and some redirected the hatred burning in their veins towards Gosunkugi. He fled up a tree where his survival depended on staying out of their reach.

Ikari struggled to maintain control of its puppets, gradually refocusing most of them back towards their original target, Ukyou, who was trying to shield her wounded fiancé with her own body.

"They're helpless," Ryouga stated, gesturing towards the downed couple.

"So what? Ranma says he can beat anyone. Let's watch him proved wrong."

"Akane, they aren't trying to hurt them, they're trying to kill them!"

Ryouga's anger brought her up short. He had never been angry with her before and he continued on. "You saw their eyes. They're possessed by that thing that tried to kill us back at Ryugenzawa. That thing that killed..."

"No!" In that simple word Akane meant many things. She didn't think Shinnosuke was dead. She didn't want to think Shinnosuke was dead. She didn't want to be taking the side of the abomination that did those things to Shinnosuke.

"No." This time it was a whisper.

"I know you'd rather have ended up with him. I saw the way you looked at him."

"No," Akane whispered again, but Ryouga had turned his back to her. She knew he was about to leap down and protect those too weak or helpless to protect themselves. She'd seen him do it before. It was one of the things she loved about him. Akane was about to speak when the sprinkler system activated, washing away Ryouga's humanity and her reply.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Ikari was momentarily confused by the sound of the fire alarms. Its concentration lapsed and several of its lesser puppets hesitated. Some of the stronger willed even slipped free of control. The Mamono didn't know why water was spraying down from the ceiling, but it liked the sensation. It did not like the fact that Mousse had turned into a duck.

The Mamono couldn't afford to lose so powerful of a warrior. He felt the dark throb of the boy's hatred. Mousse hated Ranma for taking Shampoo from him, but there were multiple layers to his hate. He hated whoever had crippled Shampoo. He hated Cologne for treating him barely better than a slave and buried so deep even Mousse didn't fully realize it was his hatred for Shampoo.

Mousse loved Shampoo, but that didn't smother his hatred. She treated him as less than human. She trampled his love and his self-respect under her feet. She seemed to enjoy hurting and humiliating him. She abandoned her pride in her pursuit of Ranma. There were many reasons he hated Shampoo and with all that, he still would have willingly died for her.

Ikari ordered Principal Kuno to shut down the sprinklers and sent Mousse in search of hot water. It was a calculated risk to have the boy gone, but he was almost useless as a duck.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Konatsu paused outside the gate of the school. He heard explosions and screams, but there was something else. He'd been trained since childhood by the ninja clan, and even though he couldn't give a reason, he sensed something was very wrong.

He glanced back at towards the restaurant, but it was blocks away and out of sight. He peered though the gate into the schoolyard, where some sort of brawl had erupted. The boy couldn't tell if the danger lurked ahead at the school or behind him at the restaurant, so he paused, trying to decide what to do.

He wasn't expecting to be ambushed from the side.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Ukyou drew her hand spatulas, but remained kneeling. She still couldn't see or breathe clearly and she was bleeding where the metal shards of her battle spatula were embedded. She hoped Ranma didn't wake up, there was no possibility of her holding off the mob for long and she didn't want him to suffer.

She wondered what sort of gas Gosunkugi had used on her. She couldn't be seeing what she thought she was. It looked like Akane's pet P-chan had jumped in front of her and was bweeing fiercely at the onrushing mob.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Tatewaki Kuno finally felt the cold. Indeed, he was certain he would never feel warmth again. His heart felt like cold ashes, all that remained after his passion and his hatred had burned away leaving him nothing left inside. He was a hollow man living in a hollow world. The cold wind whistled across the rooftop, tugging at his clothing and carrying away the two poems he had written and the two futures symbolized in them.

Now he had no future, no direction, no purpose, no goal.

"A riderless horse, a houseless street

A rudderless ship, a swordless sheath,

To make his nothingness complete."

The words belonged to the long dead French poet Francois Villon, but Kuno knew they had become his in a much more personal way. Kuno raised his wooden bokken and held it in trembling hands.

"Even my vengeance is tainted. I was too enraged to give him time to face me."

For a moment, the boy considered using the bloodstained weapon on himself

"No, a true samurai leaves something behind that would cause others to mourn his passing. I have nothing and would leave nothing."

Kuno's hands jerked convulsively and flung the wooden sword away. The point embedded into the roof and the blade snapped in half.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Ranma had the reputation for indecision, but he lay unconscious. Akane stared out the window at the chaos below. She didn't want this fight. She knew her classmates were controlled by the Mamono like Shinnosuke had been. If she fought them, the monster would push them beyond the limits of their bodies. It could cripple them.

_And if I don't fight?_

Ukyou was finally on her feet, but her movements were slow and awkward as she hovered over Ranma. P-chan bounced from face to face, slowing and confusing the attackers. But Ryouga was more noted for strength than speed and all he needed was to miss once and the tiny pig would fall beneath the trampling feet and die.

Akane leapt to the ground and struggled forward, leaving a wake of downed athletes behind her. If this were like the old days, they would have stayed down, but the possessed teens were climbing to their feet again.

Five words echoed in Akane's mind. Five words that Ryouga had said to her.

"You still care about him."

She tried to still the internal voice.

_This is for Ryouga. I can't be doing this for Ranma; not after all he's done to me._

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Oof, ouch, Azusa will you let go." There was no trace of cuteness in Konatsu's words or actions as he tried to advance towards Furinkan High. This proved difficult with the tiny brunette wrapped around his legs.

"Azusa, I need to help Lady Ukyou. Don't you understand that?" He pointed towards the surging battle and though he did not know the cause, he had good reason to suspect it was a Mamono.

"Yes, Pierre." But she didn't release her grip.

Konatsu groaned in frustration; he'd never reach the school in time this way. "Azusa, you're supposed to be an assistant Mamono Hunter."

"Yes."

"You see what's happening over there. I'm sure there's a Mamono at the school and I, no, we need to help Lady Ukyou."

"Why?"

Konatsu was speechless for a moment. "If...if you let go of me and defeat this monster, then I'll...I'll..." He searched for something to get the little nuisance out of his way. "I'll go on a date with you."

Konatsu winced at the idea, but Azusa crowed with glee. She produced a pair of rollerblades from somewhere and blazed across the schoolyard. Konatsu noticed she was just as good on them as she was on ice skates.

_She's graceful, and kind of cute._

He was surprised at that last thought. Azusa was also as smart as a turnip and he was in love with someone else. The young ninja broke into a run.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Ukyou hauled Ranma's unconscious body to the wall of the building. Now she could put her back to the wall and try to defend her fiancée. She knew Ranma was badly hurt, but she didn't know how badly. Even with blurred vision, she saw the bloody smudges left where she had dragged his body across the pavement.

There was a reason Ukyou had gotten this far. Someone gave her the time to move Ranma. If Ukyou's throat and lungs weren't burning, she would have thanked them.

Akane had joined P-chan in battle. Some people claimed Akane was terrible at martial arts, but she was holding her own. Ukyou hadn't seen many examples of Akane's skill; the youngest Tendo refused to participate in the intermittent battles over Ranma and she wouldn't use her martial arts to attempt escape from any of her kidnappers. But before the other martial artists descended on Nerima, Akane was one of the best. She was still one of the best at fighting multiple opponents.

The Tendo girl was a whirlwind of action, raining punches and kicks on the mob. Even sumo wrestlers were propelled though the air by Akane's strength. But there were limits to her endurance. Ikari was controlling too many people to make them to fight to the death, but it could force its bruised and bleeding puppets to their feet again and again. The strategy wasn't subtle, but its persistence was wearing Akane away. It would have been a gradual end, but for a girl with long brown hair wearing a softball uniform.

"No." Akane hesitated at the sight of her friend.

Yuka tried to resist the monster's control and both she and Akane screamed as the baseball bat swung towards Akane's head. Yuka wasn't strong enough to stop herself.

She was strong enough to divert her swing so the bat whistled harmlessly past her friend.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Why are all you people lying down?"

Azusa grabbed the nearest body by the hair and yanked upwards till they faced her. The skater repeated this action several times, each time saying, "Quit sleeping and tell me where that icky Mamono is. Pierre promised he'd go on a date with me if I kill the yucky thing."

All Azusa received for reply were groans, curses, or the occasional blank stare of the unconscious. Anyone else would have grown discouraged, but the skater persisted.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Akane had hesitated at the sight of her controlled friend and been swarmed by the other students. She still struggled beneath the pile of bodies, but soon Ukyou would be the only one capable of fighting.

She touched Ranma's forehead with the back of her hand, expecting him to feel cold, like the cold of the winter day. Instead, his skin felt warm, almost feverish. Ranma moaned and Ukyou knew she needed to act quickly. It hurt to breathe or speak. That didn't matter.

"I hold no enmity...against those...coerced into evil..."

Ukyou gasped for breath. This time those words made a lot more sense, but she wasn't sure she could finish the chant in time.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Kuno wandered the hallways aimlessly, but eventually noise of fighting drew his attention. Though the noise was fading, it was difficult to plan the course of his future with the distraction. He flung open the door to the schoolyard and began to declaim.

"What lackwits dare interrupt the contemplations of I, Tatewaki Kuno. Most assuredly you shall pay for this insolence as I..." For the first time Kuno found himself at a loss for words, but everyone else was too busy to appreciate it.

Akane lay unconscious on the ground. Her pet pig nuzzled her, vainly attempting to rouse the girl. Around her, a swarm of students was rising to their feet. More lay unconscious on the ground.

He didn't notice Gosunkugi, who remained cowering at the top of a tree or Konatsu who was only halfway across the schoolyard, but he glimpsed Azusa's rapid approach.

He didn't want to deal with the skater again. "Of a truth, she is most passing fair, but far from the cleverest of women. Her repeated insistence that I possessed magical tanuki powers was most tiring."

Kuno didn't like being called Marianne, either.

"True, she did drive my twisted sister away, but no more of that. Clearly, destiny smiles upon me, providing this opportunity to save mine own true love."

"Base and thuggish varlets, how dare you presume to lay hands on the lovely Akane Tendo. Now you face the wrath of her chosen champion - Tatewaki Kuno, the Righteous Avenger of Furinkan High."

The would-be samurai reached for his sword only to recall he had left it broken on the roof of the building. As broken as his dreams had become. As broken as his body would become if he could not locate a weapon quickly.

"A swordless sheath," he quoted softly.

A hoarse voice drew Kuno's attention to the side. Ukyou stood over Ranma, leaning for support against the wall of the school building. Her shirt stained with blood, she looked far from able to continue the battle. Paired hand spatulas were gripped tightly and she stared defiantly at the people that had defeated Akane.

"...since the time...of Ancient Gods...have been..." Ukyou gasped. The crowd ignored Kuno. Goaded by Ikari's poison coursing through their veins, they advanced towards the girl. It appeared Ukyou would be just too slow to finish the chant.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Ikari barely sensed the Assistant Mamono Hunter, almost missing her in the chaos of controlling so many at once. Many of its minions had fallen, but the monster merely released its control on those and strengthened its grip on the remainder.

It hadn't anticipated the cleverness of this assistant. She had dared to approach this close without activating her abilities, making her much harder to detect and she appeared ruthless enough to let the Mamono Hunter be beaten severely, just so she could get that close. Clearly this Assistant was clever, cunning, subtle, and merciless.

The Mamono left the remnants of the sumo and the soccer clubs to finish the Mamono Hunter. The others, the majority of the athletic clubs, were sent directly against the Assistant Hunter.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Wake up, Akane. Smile, laugh, yell at me, hit me with your hammer, just please, please move."

That's what Ryouga wanted to say, but all he could currently manage was a series of anguished bwees. A small pig stared in hatred at the backs of the students who had left Akane bloody and unconscious on the pavement. Somewhere in his mind he knew they were controlled, but that's not what his heart told him. Rage burned within the boy turned pig. He might not have physical strength, but he still had his chi powers.

No one understood what the little pig squealed.

"Rekka Tomuraigassen." A fan-shaped crimson wave of chi energy, the Raging Flame of Revenge, lashed out from the little pig, engulfing the students advancing towards Ukyou. The wave caught and carried them forward, slamming them into the building wall and leaving them crumpled on the pavement. Wisps of smoke rose from their smoldering clothing as they lay silent and unconscious on the ground.

P-chan appeared to be smiling.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Azusa was skilled at battling multiple opponents, though she'd never had to do it without someone to watch her back before. Still, she was doing well, even though Ikari's mistake meant she needed to battle nearly all of its remaining puppets, which included most of the kendo and judo clubs.

If the students hadn't been possessed, Azusa could have defeated them in seconds. Instead, they clung to consciousness with a desperate strength and every one she defeated reduced the number the Mamono needed to control. The remaining puppets became faster, stronger, and fought longer before collapsing.

A stray thought made its dark and lonely way across Azusa's mind. Suddenly, she remembered something important. Not only would it give her additional skill in battle, it was extremely cute.

"Help, Pierre! Protect me from these nasty people."

Azusa smiled at her clever plan. Playing the damsel in distress was always cute.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Ikari wasn't pleased at the way the little pig felled so many of its minions, but through them it had sensed the exhilarating rush of hatred in the creature's chi blast. It needed to experience that feeling again. It needed to possess that little pig.

A moment was spent ordering Sasuke to fetch the pet. It was risky, someone might follow the ninja back to Ikari, but the Mamono wanted that delicious source of hatred for its own.

The creature glanced at its remaining bodyguards; the Principal, Kodachi, and the Furinkan High gymnastics club. The Principal despised his students, delighted in tormenting them, and they despised him back. He didn't hate his daughter, he didn't care about her enough to hate her and that's why she loathed him. The gymnasts envied Kodachi for her looks and skill, hated her for her treacherous ambush of them when they were opponents; while she disdained them as inferiors. All those negative emotions gave Ikari even more power.

But Mousse still had not returned and the Mamono found that disquieting. The boy was much harder to sense or control in his cursed form.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Ryouga's targets had accidentally shielded Ukyou from his chi blast. She shut her eyes and focussed on the final whispered words.

"...108th generation...Devil Hunter...Ukyou...is here...Beware."

Her throat felt like sandpaper. Her eyes burned, her head and chest ached, and she wanted to collapse. But as long any hope remained of saving Ranma, she refused to quit. Her words were whispered instead of shouted, but they still worked. A reddish glow formed around Ukyou, she felt a spinning sensation, coolness, then warmth and the transformation was complete.

Ukyou still didn't know the transformation sequence left her naked for a few moments while it spun her through the air. The few previous times Ukyou used the power, it was dark or she was already naked. Only Ranma had gotten a brief glimpse and he hadn't believed it was anything more than his imagination. This time a lot more people could have gotten an eyeful.

But they didn't. Ranma, Akane, and most of the possessed students were unconscious. Azusa was too busy fighting the remaining mob. Gosunkugi was watching her battle. Konatsu was too far away. P-chan was staring at Akane and crying.

Tatewaki Kuno stood mere feet away looking directly at Ukyou. He'd only seen her wear something remotely feminine once, the time she donned a girl's school uniform to get Ranma's attention. She'd received some attention from Ranma, more from the other male students, and though she did not know it, Kuno had momentarily forgotten his twin passions for the pigtailed girl and Akane.

That was how Kuno felt when he saw Ukyou wear something feminine. This time, for those few moments, Kuno got a full look at Ukyou's physical attractions. Lightheaded, he collapsed to his knees, though he'd seen enough photographs of underclad women to avoid fainting in the style that Ryouga was famous for.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Konatsu detoured around Azusa and the crowd fighting her. He'd risked dating the little weirdo just to rescue Ukyou and now she was wasting time. The ninja sprinted forward, reaching Ukyou's side.

"What happened?" Fear and confusion were obvious in his tones.

The girl didn't respond. There was no way she could possibly sum it up. She knelt with tears forming in her eyes and with raspy voice whispered "Ranchan." The fight had taken so long. Ranma had lost so much blood. His lips were tinged with blue, his skin as pale as marble. She didn't think there was time to get him to a hospital.

Most of Ranma's fiancées had imagined marrying Ranma. Ukyou hadn't. She had imagined being married to Ranma. The others focused on a romantic ceremonial event. She focused on living life with him and her envisioned futures weren't some perfect storybook romance. When Happosai made Ranma weak, Ukyou imagined the consequences of him staying weak, of being a working wife for a near-invalid husband. She thought of being with him and it was alright because she was with him. When she let Ranma bet her restaurant what she thought was a vain attempt to retrieve the Tendo dojo from the Gambler King, she imagined the consequences of failure. Soun had already kicked Ranma out of his house and if she lost her restaurant they'd both have been poor and homeless, but she was willing to accept it because she and Ranma would be together, partners in life and love.

Now Ranma was visibly slipping away and she couldn't any imagine any future at all. Dimly, Ukyou heard Konatsu shouting.

"Lady Ukyou! Lady Ukyou! We got these directions from your grandmother. You can heal him. You can save him."

She began breathing. Her heart began beating. She snatched the paper from Konatsu and when it proved too difficult for her damaged eyes to read, she made the ninja read it to her.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Kuno came to his senses as Ukyou chanted the healing spell. He barely noticed Gosunkugi holding the unconscious Akane and blubbering something about it being all his fault. An angry P-chan glared up at the skinny boy, but did nothing. Kuno looked back at Akane and felt a mixture of sorrow and desire.

He glanced over at Ukyou.

_Never did I imagine she would be so bold, nay brazen, as to expose her full feminine charms to my adoring gaze. Truly, she must desire me with a deep and burning passion, and who am I to deny her in her time of need._

He had a goal to achieve; a reason to live for. Kuno grinned at the thought, but was distracted by Ukyou's yell.

"Konatsu, you idiot! That was the wrong spell. I wanted to heal Ranchan, not me."

She snatched the paper from the boy and started chanting frantically. Everyone nearby focused on her, so no one saw Sasuke snatch P-chan and flee.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Her darling Pierre must have gotten lost when he should have been bravely rescuing her. Azusa ducked beneath another clumsy blow and decided to end the combat. All this fighting was getting her hot and sweaty and that wasn't cute at all. She smiled as she remembered Babette, the cute bracelet Auntie Madoka gave her.

Azusa was uninjured and used to fighting multiple opponents, so she finished her chant much more quickly than Ukyou had. Like the Mamono Hunter, she spiraled into the air as her clothing shredded away and her uniform materialized around her. Unlike Ukyou, her form remained hidden by a glowing light.

No one knew why the summonings were different, but they had been since the founding of the line of Mamono Hunters. Perhaps the person who developed the spell had decided that a brief flash of nudity would cause attackers to pause in lust or surprise. Maybe the founder of the line was an exhibitionist. Whatever the reason, the transformation irritated, annoyed, and embarrassed virtually every member of the 108 generations of Mamono Hunters. The three exceptions were exhibitionists.

The rest found it even more irritating that Assistant Mamono Hunters like Azusa were spared this embarrassment by being hidden behind the glowing light as they transformed. No one knew why the transformation was different for these younger girls, or why it changed as they grew older.

Azusa was ringed by the same horde of controlled students, but now she wore a Mamono Hunter dress. It was pink instead of scarlet, and festooned with far more bows than the original outfit. To her surprise, the transformation resulted in even more vicious attacks by the people around her.

Ikari's name meant hatred and it hated the Mamono Hunters who were sworn to banish or destroy its kind. Even though she wore a mockery of the Mamono Hunter outfit, it was enough for Ikari to channel more hatred through this set of puppets. The ones Akane fought had collapsed after serious injury or unconsciousness. These puppets could be pushed till muscles tore, bones snapped, and hearts burst. They would not stop until they or Azusa were dead.

On some level, Azusa sensed this. She called for her darling Pierre again, but it was too late. He was gone.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Konatsu might not have seen Sasuke snatch P-chan, but he was one of the most skilled ninjas of his generation and he had definitely sensed it. He was also skilled enough to follow unheard and unseen. Now he clung to the wall outside the window of the Principal's office. There were several people in the room and he suspected they were the more powerful minions of the Mamono.

Konatsu didn't know why they wanted Akane's pet. Perhaps P-chan was about to become someone's lunch. That was unfortunate, but the ninja was more concerned with saving people's lives. He crept slowly away, returning to the others. He needed their help to defeat the Mamono, but he was certain he would return too late to save P-chan.

He was too late to save someone, but it wasn't P-chan.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Ukyou smiled. "I did it. I was in time. Ranchan's gonna live." She wrapped the boy in a hug, which made her the only person too close to see the greenish glow in Ranma's eyes. Ikari had captured one of the strongest pieces on the Mamono Hunter's side and brought it back into play as its own.

Kuno had managed to throw off the creature's poison, but the Mamono had also infected his wooden sword with the venom. It was sure the boy would use the sword eventually, but it never expected him to use it so effectively.

Kuno's reward was to be the first hurled backwards by a burst of chi energy. Then Ranma began building another Shishi Hokoudan. In moments, he would unleash it on the person he hated the most.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo


	7. Ikari Part 4

Mamono Hunter Ukyou Chapter 3

Ikari: Roots of Hatred

Part 4

By Edward A. Simons

Based on characters and situations created by Takahashi Rumiko. Ranma 1/2 and characters copyright Shogakukan, Kitty Animation Circle, and Takahashi Rumiko. Devil Hunter Yohko and characters copyright NCS, Toho Company, LTD., and Mad House. This story revised 2005 by Edward Simons.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Everyone is a moon, and has a dark side which he never shows to anybody."

Mark Twain

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Sasuke knelt before the Mamono, a fiercely struggling pig clasped in his arms. Ikari paused, exhilarating in the delicious hatred emanating from the pig. P-chan bweed again and another fan-shaped wave of crimson chi lashed out. The Mamono gave another popping chuckle as it absorbed more of the emotion it thrived on.

"The Hunter is dying; the Assistant is doomed. Her few allies are helpless and her Guardian has become my pawn. With the power this small black creature gives me, I shall open the path between the demon plane and this world, then all shall kneel before me or be destroyed."

"Actually, the Mamono Hunter managed to heal herself," Sasuke stated.

"What? Why did you not tell me this at once?"

The little ninja cringed. "Well, first you ordered me to get the pig. Then you were busy gloating..."

"Silence!"

While Sasuke quivered at the rebuke, P-chan bit his hand and the ninja dropped the pig. The Principal's office was huge and full of the tropical foliage the man adored. There were plenty of places to hide there, but after what Ikari had done to the forest of Ryugenzawa, Ryouga couldn't afford to take the chance that these plants were infested as well.

A small hoof tapped the wooden floorboards. "Bakuchai Tenkechu." Ryouga had only used this variation on the Breaking Point once before, in the Tendo dojo, but this floor shattered at his touch as well, and he plunged into the darkness below.

Ikari paused. The pig was more clever and dangerous than expected. Perhaps it was a local breed of Mamono.

"I'll go..." Sasuke stammered.

"No, this needs someone competent." With a few short commands, the gymnastics team was unleashed. One by one, they dropped through the hole in the floor and disappeared, pursuing Ryouga.

Ikari focused on the ninja again. "Return to the roof. I must know where the Hunter is and what she is doing. For your sake, you had best get that right."

Sasuke scuttled frantically away. Only the Principal and his daughter remained with the Mamono.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Ranma was better at forgiving than most, but one person was responsible for his mother's loneliness and his failure to measure up to her standards of manliness. One person was responsible for all the pain and suffering of those around him. One person whose stupidity, thoughtlessness, and indecision were ruining people's lives. One person he could never escape.

He would never have acted against this person before, but Aijou's empty orbs had opened his eyes and Ikari's caustic venom burning in his veins had erased the final barriers. Many people had irritated or angered him. Some claimed they hated him. He'd learned to hate only one person.

_They'd be better off without me. Ucchan, Akane, all of them. The only thing I know how to do is fight and I'm not even good enough at that to keep them from getting hurt. They'd be better off if they never met me._

His father blamed him for everything. Akane blamed him for everything. Her father blamed him for everything. Ryouga blamed him for everything.

Worse were the ones who didn't blame him - Shampoo, cursed, exiled, and condemned thanks to his blunders; Ukyou, robbed, betrayed, and abandoned thanks to his ignorance. Now Nabiki was dead, Shampoo was crippled, and he'd nearly maimed Ukyou before he realized the truth. All the pain and sorrow **was** his fault and Ikari had given him the ruthless, reckless strength to finally do something about it.

A glowing pillar of chi surrounded the boy, then rose slowly into the air, coalescing in a huge cloud of negative energy. It hung there malevolently for an instant and then the Perfect Shishi Hokoudan came thundering down with a force greater than a cascading waterfall. It slammed into the earth, splintering the concrete, then detonated outwards, flinging bodies and debris into the air.

Konatsu had rounded the corner a few seconds too soon. He glimpsed the dark shadows of human forms within the explosion and shielded his eyes against the light. The ninja was well outside the blast radius, but a chunk of concrete half the size of his fist caught the boy in the shoulder and spun him to the ground.

Sasuke had barely reached the edge of the roof and paused, staring wide-eyed as the Shishi Hokoudan rose to nearly the height of the roof, then plunged downwards. Gosunkugi's explosions had already shattered windows along the side of the building, the students still unpossessed had long since fled. The Perfect Shishi Hokoudan shattered the face of the building, crushing brick and concrete, splintering wood and steel. Sasuke didn't hear it, nor the collapse of the damaged section of the building. The blast flipped him backwards, hammering him unconscious even before he slammed back onto what remained of the roof.

Kuno had regained his feet and half turned towards Ranma when the blast drove him to his knees, then flung him away like a discarded doll.

In his blind unfeeling pain, Ranma hadn't considered others were in the blast radius. The possessed students that by Ryouga or Akane had defeated lay scattered around him. The Mamono's power had fled and they had no strength of their own to resist the force of the Shishi Hokoudan.

But in that weakness was strength. The user of the Perfect Shishi Hokoudan was shielded by the despair that powered it, the very emptiness of feeling meant the attack washed over them harmlessly. Unconsciousness wasn't quite the same mental state, but it was a kind of emptiness, enough to protect them, letting them escape with minor injuries.

Gosunkugi didn't know that and deliberately shielded Akane in the only unselfish act he had performed in his life. His own sorrow and remorse were strong enough for him to survive, but he joined the ranks of the unconscious.

Ukyou was clinging to Ranma at the very center of the Shishi Hokoudan. Moments before, her despair, her emptiness, were deeper than Gosunkugi's, but grief had turned to joy. The cascade of negative chi slammed her to the concrete with a sickening crunch, tearing Ranma from her grasp. Then it detonated, hurling her through the disintegrating side of the building. Her body bounced off one wall, crashed to the floor, and slid the full length of a hallway before striking the wall at the end.

Ranma's eyes refocused and he stared through a scene of devastation at the crumpled unmoving form of his fiancée. A wordless howling scream tore from his throat as something broke inside. This was all his fault, too, but he could at least avenge her.

Still howling, he began refocusing his chi. This time he would destroy the person who deserved it, not another victim foolish enough to care about him.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Yuka!" Daisuke shouldered Hiroshi aside. "Yuka!" he screamed again and darted towards the ruined school building.

When the fire alarms went off, Hinako had concentrated on getting the students out of the building. When she saw the brutal fight in the schoolyard, she moved those not involved farther away.

Her old reflex would have been to absorb the combatants' chi energy; but after encountering with the first Mamono, Aijou, she was reluctant to use those abilities. But now she had to.

"Happo Five Yen Satsu!" she called, draining Daisuke. Hinako caught the boy as he slumped forward, then dropped to one knee under more than a physical weight. _Kami-sama, such pain. He must care for her._

Hinako laid the boy on the ground, then pointed at Hiroshi. "Watch him until he wakes up again." She then glared at the crowd. "None of the rest of you are going to do anything stupid!"

The students and the other teachers nodded in unison.

"Wait here until I find out what's going on."

They nodded again.

_Not a real man among the lot._ She glanced at Daisuke. _Well, maybe one._ But he didn't have the skills or strength to survive this.

Hinako turned and moved cautiously towards the devastated school building. Someone needed to make sure the students scattered across the schoolyard received medical attention. Someone needed to take responsibility.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Azusa was trapped, unable to flee. She couldn't even attack anymore, just dodge frantically. Miraculously, she'd avoided injury, but her lovely Mamono Hunter dress hadn't been so fortunate. One sleeve was gone, most of the ribbons, and half the skirt. Yet the flesh beneath was untouched. The dress, a mystical form of armor, had protected her from harm. It wouldn't be able to do that much longer.

"Pierre?"

She sprang upwards, bouncing off a tennis player's face, soaring into the air. The cute boy was nowhere nearby, but she saw the explosion of the Perfect Shishi Hokoudan and plunged downwards, planning to use her attackers as an impromptu shield.

Unfortunately, they were only on the edge of the blast. Few of the horde were touched by it; none were removed from the fight. Fortunately, an unintended missile named Kuno plowed into one side of the students circling her, felling a few of the kendo students and the rest of the tennis club.

Azusa darted through the gap Kuno had accidentally provided. "Thank you, Marianne, for using your magical tanuki powers to rescue me."

Her legs were short, but she wore rollerblades. She bulleted towards Konatsu, easily outdistancing her pursuers. This time she really wanted Pierre to rescue her and she wasn't trying to be cute about it.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Konatsu stared in frozen horror, the pain of his body unmatched by that of his soul. Ukyou was gone, gone as if she'd never existed. Ranma knelt in the center of a shallow crater, summoning an even larger chi blast. He wouldn't to stop until he destroyed himself.

But in his blind despair Ranma had forgotten something. Ryouga could have reminded him, but P-chan remained trapped in the endless maze of corridors known as Furinkan High. The Perfect Shishi Hokoudan never affected the person summoning it. It smashed everything else in range, but as long as the summoner stayed depressed he wouldn't be injured. Ironically, anyone despondent enough to use the power in a suicide attempt was depressed enough to remain unharmed by it.

Ryouga knew. He'd tried it before.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

A pink blur on rollerblades surged forward, her long brunette hair streaming behind, pursued by the mass of Ikari's puppet athletes. Reaching the edge of the crater, Azusa lunged upward, clearing both Ranma and the Shishi Hokoudan he was summoning, while her pursuers paused at the edge of the devastation, then circled wide of it.

"Pierre, you dummy! You have to run." Azusa landed on an unbroken section of concrete and darted forward, but Konatsu still hadn't moved when she reached him. She grabbed the boy and lofted him above her head. "Pierre, you have to save me," she exclaimed as she hauled the boy away from the broken crater.

The ninja didn't reply, but he dimly realized the pursuing horde had circled wide enough they probably wouldn't be harmed when Ranma detonated his chi blast again. Konatsu understood Ranma's feelings. This was how he felt when he crippled Shampoo. He wanted to say something, but Ranma was too far away to hear him, even if he could find the words.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

She hurt too much to be dead. When Ukyou called on the power of the Yoma ring, it enhanced her strength, her agility, her speed, and her stamina. Because of that, she was still alive. Her head felt like someone had used it for a game of soccer. Sharp pains flared in her side and ankle. One knee was swelling visibly. Her right arm was bent at an unpleasant angle, though strangely it seemed to be one of the few things that didn't hurt.

"Ran..." she whispered. She barely heard the groans indicating the threatened the collapse of the upper stories of the school, they were drowned by Ranma's keening wail. She ignored the shards of debris falling between her and her fiancé; stared into the sickly luminescence of the gathering Shishi Hokoudan and saw him kneeling there.

Her body wanted to lie there. Her spirit refused to. Ukyou staggered to her feet and began hobbling towards the light. She needed to reach Ranma before he managed to kill himself.

She didn't understand the power could only kill her. An old saying claimed 'You only hurt the one you love', but that wasn't true. You only hurt the one who loves you, whether you love them or not.

Maybe it was adrenaline. Maybe it was magic. Maybe it was something else. Ukyou ignored her injuries, ignored the pain and began to run. It was an awkward stumbling run, but that didn't matter. She had the same goal in front of her she always had - dear, sweet, stupid, brave, impossible Ranma, the one she loved. This time she wouldn't be too slow, this time he wouldn't leave her behind. She'd reach him in time and she'd save him. And if she couldn't, at least they'd be together.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Every nerve tingled with energy. Ranma didn't realize he was still screaming.

_I'm never gonna fail again. No one else is gonna end up like Ucchan._

Every hair felt like it was standing on end.

_She was dumb enough to waste her time on me. She was dumb enough to love me._

Waves of cold fire seemed to flow up and down his spine.

_Now she's gone._

And she left a torn aching hole where his heart used to be. Tears tracked down his cheeks. His scream finally ended in a shuddering gasp as the last of the air emptied from his lungs. Power arced between his outstretched fingers, begging to be freed.

A sudden weight struck him, nearly knocking him prone. The girl had tumbled on top of him in a movement that was more a fall than a leap. She groaned in pain, but clung to him with the arm that still worked.

Ranma inhaled sharply, then yelled, "Get outta here! I ain't gonna hurt you again! I ain't never gonna hurt anyone again!"

Her eyes were inches from his. "Do what you have to, Ranchan. I promised I'd always take care of you." She gave a sad little smile and kissed him gently. "After all these years I finally caught you and I'm gonna hang on as long as I can."

His heart thundered in his chest; he felt the power calling him. He took a deep breath, held it, then released that energy, not in the single destructive blast he originally intended, but a safe gradual flow. Once he finished, he wrapped his arms around Ukyou.

"Why, Ucchan, why? All I do is hurt you."

But he knew why, she'd told him. A short simple word that frightened him. Love. His father had separated him from it since he was a child, fearing it would weaken him, make him less of a martial artist, less of a man. But what good was power, skill, when you were alone? Genma's actions had left him feeling he didn't deserve his mother's or anyone else's love, so he craved it all the more, afraid to let any of them get too far away. Yet he didn't dare to let them too close, either, couldn't risk that weakness, so he pushed away or even ran from any girl who expressed an interest in him.

He still wanted to push her away, still didn't dare believe her words, but she'd never lied to him and he was tired of running, tired of an endless, pointless battle that hurt everyone including himself.

"But you never hurt me on purpose," Ukyou stated. "And I know you'll always take care of me, too, 'cause you always keep your promises; 'cause you're honorable and dependable and brave."

_Ucchan must hit her head a lot harder than I thought. I ain't anything like that. I'm thoughtless and selfish and cowardly, just like Pops._

But it was nice to have someone who thought the best instead of the worst of him, who believed he could be more than he was. _Kami-sama, help me. I don't want to hurt her no more. Help me be kind of like what she thinks I am._

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Ikari howled like a storm rushing through the branches of the trees. It had come so close, so very close. The Guardian had been about to unleash a gigantic Shishi Hokoudan that would have destroyed the Mamono Hunter, her Assistant, and virtually every other ally of theirs in one catastrophic explosion.

It was Ikari, a living embodiment of hatred. Nothing was stronger. Nothing! Certainly not some foolish human emotion as weak and fragile as love. This couldn't be happening. It was about to win the shogi match and some fool had smashed the board.

If the Mamono had ever seen Soun and Genma play that game, blithely ignoring the rules, it might have understood what had occurred. Instead, it was left howling at the blind unfairness of it all.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Azusa placed both hands over her ears when the Mamono howled. She didn't mean to drop Konatsu on his head.

He sat up, rubbing the back of his skull. "Hey, what did you do that for?"

She didn't answer, but turned and looked up at the window of Principal Kuno's office. It was around the corner of the building from the various explosions and most of the windows had survived.

Her outfit hadn't been so fortunate, and it now resembled a fringed minidress. Konatsu blushed, realizing he was staring up at a pair of pink teddy bear panties.

"Can you see them, Pierre?"

"What?"

"There, up in the window. There's people up there."

Konatsu looked past the girl, but he saw nothing human. A dark spiny figure was hunched there. Vaguely manlike, it would have stood twice human height, were it capable of standing straight.

"Yay, it's the Mamono!" Azusa cheered. "Now I can defeat it and go on a date with my darling Pierre." She glanced over her shoulder, winked, and blew a kiss to the boy; then launched herself straight at the Mamono, not stopping to check if the window was open.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Ukyou took a deep breath and prepared to let out a sigh of relief when she noticed her chest felt very cold. Her eyes grew wide and the girl glanced downward. Normally, two buttons near her right collarbone held the front of the high collared Mamono Hunter dress shut. Both buttons had vanished and the cloth was torn, revealing things Ukyou normally concealed.

Ranma saw her gaze downward and noticed the same things. Only the fact he was also blushing made it bearable to Ukyou. The boy laughed nervously and pulled his shirt off. Her eyes grew even wider and she realized she still hadn't remembered to exhale.

"Umm, here, Ucchan. You kinda need this more than me."

She finally released her breath and smiled nervously, certain she'd turned the same color as her dress. With her left hand, Ukyou gestured towards her damaged right arm.

"Thanks, just let me heal myself so I can pull it on."

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

With the crash of shattering glass, a duck plunged through the front window of the Neko Hanten restaurant, plowed through a table and chairs, smacked into the far wall, and fell heavily to the floor.

The waterfowl bounced back up and fluttered to the kitchen, then paused in front of the sink.

_No, I can't. If I change back, Ikari might be able to control me again._

It was the first time Mousse's Jusenkyou curse had proved helpful. The transformation weakened the control the Mamono had over him. Mousse had longed to be free of both the Amazon laws, but his own weaknesses had betrayed him. Somehow, all he'd achieved was trading one arbitrary master for another.

He flapped back into the dining area. Except for the table he'd smashed, everything was undisturbed, like the restaurant hadn't been used for weeks. The Neko Hanten restaurant had been the scene of many experiences, virtually none of them pleasant, but it was the closest thing Mousse had to a home.

He found that thought extraordinarily depressing.

Mousse listened closely, but it soon became obvious he was alone.

_Ancestors, no!_ Cologne's absence could only mean one thing, but he had no idea where she had gone. The Mamono had controlled him so soon after Shampoo was crippled and he didn't even begin to know where to look for her. Cologne was too careful to have left a clue. Mousse tried to scream with frustration, but it came out as an angry sounding quack.

_Pathetic._

Mousse tried to relax, tried to think, and failed. A panic-stricken duck winded through the shattered window, choosing a random direction. It wouldn't have mattered anyway, the boy was far too late to be of any help to Shampoo.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

The small black pig dodged madly, but it was running out of time, room, and options.

_Curse you, Ranma, I'm being chased by athletic teenage girls in formfitting leotards. I haven't got time for this. I have to save Akane._

Suddenly, the gymnasts disappeared, recalled by their monstrous master. Ikari had retreated into the foliage of the Principal's office, cursing itself for letting the ruthless and devious Assistant Hunter get so close.

It had ordered the father and daughter team of Kunos to face Azusa, but if she were as powerful as she was dangerous, Ikari would need every minion possible for defense.

Ryouga was left behind in the dark, empty maze of hallways, wondering what had happened. But he didn't waste much time in puzzlement. Akane needed him and he scampered forward as fast as his little hooves could manage.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Konatsu heard the charging mob, though they weren't yet visible around the corner of the building. He wobbled to his feet. Ranma and Ukyou were gone, he was certain of it, and silly and annoying as she could be, Azusa was probably the last hope that anyone would survive. He was the only thing left standing between her and the crowd, but he wasn't even carrying his sword. He hadn't since the day he crippled Shampoo.

_Even if I can hold them off, Azusa hasn't got a chance against the Mamono and whoever it has with it. There's no point in fighting. There's no chance of winning._

But he stayed. He knew his friends would have if they still lived.

_I have to keep the monster's puppets away from that window._ He placed his back to the wall, a floor beneath the Principal's office, and wondered what to do next. But the mob swarmed around the corner, surrounding him, and there was no more time for thought. Only three or four could come at him at once, but that was enough. He couldn't block or dodge them all, he could slow them down, but before long he'd be smothered in a wall of flesh.

Still, he'd downed half-a-dozen before a thrown cheerleader's baton caught him in his injured shoulder. Pain coursed through his body and he dropped to his knees.

"Sorry, Lady Shampoo, I never found your cure," he whispered as a huge wrestler prepared to embed him into the ground. To his surprise, the gigantic opponent slumped unconscious to the ground.

"Yo, Konatsu, you okay?"

The ninja stared openmouthed at Ranma.

_He's alive?_ A blush covered Konatsu's cheeks as he noticed the other boy wore no shirt. The ninja hadn't expected he would find that exciting, but he had been raised to think of himself as a girl.

"Hey, Konatsu, you awake in there?" Pigtailed boy reached past the ninja and tapped the arm of a maddened student before he could crush the ninja's skull with a hockey stick. The stick fell from a limp useless arm and a second gentle tap to the attacker's chest dropped him unconscious to the ground.

"How?"

"Pressure points. Tofu's been showing 'em to me. Seems like the best way to stop these guys without hurting them."

"Lady Ukyou, she's alright, isn't she?"

"Yeah, she's looking good." Oddly, Ranma blushed at his own words. "What I mean is..." Thanks to the horde, he didn't have time to explain more; not that Konatsu had the time to listen, either.

Ranma leapt forward, flipping over the most of the crowd, bouncing off a rugby player's head and landing on the pavement beyond. In the moments before they reached him, he assessed the situation.

Normally he could have handled student athletes, but possessed berzerkers who could take multiple hits and keep going were something else again, and every one that fell allowed Ikari to strengthen its grip on the remainder.

_Hiryu Shouten Ha?_ But he doubted these opponents had the toughness or training to survive the maelstrom of the Rising Dragon Ascension Wave or the inevitable fall when the whirlwind of chi ran down.

_Besides, Konatsu's too close. Can't risk doing that again._

The ninja didn't seem to be in the best of shape, either. The boy had tried to follow Ranma, but he hadn't made it through the crowd. Now he was trapped, surrounded again, and Ranma sprang back to aid him.

"This won't be easy," Konatsu said, dodging one opponent and using the attacker's momentum to launch them into the surrounding mob.

"Yeah, but I'm Ranma Saotome..." He ducked a swung hockey stick, then backflipped, kicking the weapon into the air. "...and I..." Ranma landed on one palm and struck out with his other hand, hitting a pressure point near a sumo wrestler's knee. "...never..." The wrestler crashed to the ground, tripping a couple members of the rugby club; while Ranma launched himself back into the air with one hand. "...ever..." He spun back to an upright position, catching the falling hockey stick.

Then the first scream issued from the Principal's office, an anguished wail of pain and despair.

Ranma flinched, even as he spun the hockey stick to deflect a tennis ball and pair of thrown cheerleaders' batons while kicking out with both feet, catching one opponent on the chin and a second in a pressure point near the collarbone.

Both should have fallen, but only the first attacker did; though the second's arm hung limply at his side.

As the pigtailed boy landed, he heard Azusa's second shriek. Most of the athletes he and Konatsu had felled were already getting to their feet again.

"Ranma, we have to help her!"

He nodded, no longer wasting time on speech. He'd

never faced this many opponents and he was still drained from his earlier chi use and the Mamono's possession. But he'd won battles before with just his native stubbornness and his well of confidence. He wasn't going to quit.

Neither were their opponents. The Mamono whipped its minions into an even greater frenzy and the boys were forced to listen as Azusa's agonized howls continued, rising in intensity, until they abruptly ceased.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Akane groaned as she sat up. Ukyou knelt by an unconscious body, glowing energies flowing between a strange ring on her left hand and a prone and unconscious member of the softball club. Before Akane's eyes, the injured teen's injuries melted away. Ukyou moved to another student and began another healing spell.

Ukyou's dress appeared tattered and over its remains she wore one of Ranma's shirts. Dark thoughts crossed Akane's mind. _That pervert didn't even give her time to get the dress off before bedding her. What kind of selfish idiot is he?_

Of course, Akane conveniently forgot that when she last saw Ranma, he lay unconscious at Ukyou's feet and she was wearing something completely different. The Tendo girl had spent so long assuming the worst about Ranma, believing the word of strangers over that of her fiancé, until she reached the point where it became easy to ignore facts and just assign blame to Ranma.

_At least the jerk gave her his shirt so she could cover herself, but Ukyou should stand up for herself instead of letting that jerk take advantage of her. I hate it when people won't do that._

She took a closer look at the ring on Ukyou's hand.

_That's the ugliest engagement ring I've seen. Ranma has the worst taste and she's dumb not to insist on a better one. What did I ever see in the idiot? I'm much better off with Ryouga, he's so much nicer and more dependable._

Akane stood, realizing that she only felt a little tired. She remembered a brutal beating at the hands of the possessed mob, but that's all it was now, a memory. Ukyou had obviously healed her.

_I guess she's still my friend even she does have lousy taste in guys._

Akane was about to express her thanks when she noticed who Ukyou was healing.

"Yuka," the Tendo girl whispered and moved to the Mamono Hunter's side. "Will she be alright?"

Gosunkugi lay forgotten behind them. Though he'd escaped harm from both his own actions and those of the mob, the skinny boy had been injured when he shielded Akane's unconscious body from the Perfect Shishi Hokoudan. She didn't know this, so it wasn't surprising she didn't notice him. Gosunkugi hadn't been noticed his entire life.

Ukyou had tried to heal the skinny boy, but he was still unconscious. The spell didn't work; it couldn't work on him and she had too many other injured people to tend to.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Azusa flinched and shrieked as Principal Kuno's clippers drew closer. She was in agony.

She'd been confident, too confident, when she sprang through the window moments before, but after that nothing had gone right. The Mamono she needed to defeat had vanished. Then, with a simple flip of her gymnastics ribbon, Kodachi had Azusa wrapped up and immobile.

The window had slammed shut behind her and then Principal Kuno had attacked the helpless girl. The paired clippers he wielded snipped repeatedly, each sound echoed by an anguished scream from Azusa. Eventually, she fell silent as the Principal stepped back to admire his work.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Groping female students?" Hinako called. "The delinquent, Tatewaki Kuno, is in need of punishment." She took a closer look at the unconscious boy, who was partly embedded in the concrete. "Or maybe not."

"Ukyou and I already took care of it," Akane stated

"Is he...?"

"The pervert's tougher than a cockroach," the Tendo girl answered.

"I can't believe the jerk grabbed me," Ukyou growled.

Akane sighed. "I'm sure the idiot was just going after me again."

_Maybe that's why Akane's so angry, after all that dealing with Octopus Boy. Maybe not, that still doesn't explain why she's mad at Ranchan so much. He doesn't act anything like Kuno._

With all the bodies lying around them, it looked like a war zone, but thanks to Ukyou's healing spells none of the injuries would be permanent.

"I'll watch them until the doctors arrive," Hinako said.

"Good, then we can go help Ranchan kick the Mamono's ugly butt."

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Konatsu collapsed to his knees from injuries and exhaustion and began sobbing. They were too late to save Azusa. Her agonized shrieks had ceased.

"My fault...my fault...she...she..."

"Listen, it ain't your fault, Konatsu," Ranma growled. "It's my stupid fault. I'm supposed to be this hotshot unbeatable martial artist and I can't keep people from getting hurt. You weren't trained for this kinda stuff. I was and I failed."

He still couldn't fight his way through to avenge Azusa. His confidence hadn't rebounded enough to use a Moko Takabisha. He wasn't depressed enough to use a Shishi Hokoudan.

They were interrupted by the arrival of reinforcements. Akane was a whirlwind of blue. Ukyou was covered in red - her dress, Ranma's shirt, and both of their blood that stained the clothing. She moved more cautiously and appeared tired, but she smiled as soon as she saw Ranma.

He smiled back, but he blushed as well as he recalled earlier events. _It ain't like I meant to look at her exposed...um...at her...ah..._ But he couldn't forget, either. _Great, I'm becoming as big a pervert as Kuno._

Then he heard shattering glass as a body was launched through the window of Principal Kuno's office and the heavy thump of that body striking the pavement below.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

The Principal's eyes glowed with a sickly greenish light as he contemplated what he'd done to the helpless Azusa. Neither he nor Kodachi noticed a small black pig appear.

"Now de lil wahine be having de good bowl cut, eh," smirked the older Kuno. For the first time in years, someone had remained still long enough for him to give them a proper haircut. It didn't matter to him that Azusa's long beautiful hair lay clumped on the floor. It didn't matter that she was crying quietly at the loss. He didn't know or care how long it had taken for her to grow it out or how much it mattered to her. As the girl sobbed quietly, a huge grin covered the Principal's face. Something had finally happened the way he wanted.

He still wore that grin when P-chan's blast of angry chi smashed him through the window.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Once, Ukyou had helped rescue Konatsu from the ninja clan that raised him. Now she was helping save him from the mob. The first time he felt himself falling in love. This time, he saw her gazing at Ranma and understood his love was hopeless. Ukyou had given her heart to Ranma and nothing the ninja did could change that.

The boy smiled bitterly. _I'm not the man Ukyou wants. I'm not the man Shampoo wants. I'm just some stupid freak who was raised to be a girl._

The only other girl in Konatsu's life was Azusa. She was stupid and silly and she only wanted him because he was cute. Now she was gone. _The only person who really needed me is dead._

Konatsu glanced up at the shattered window frame. He considered and discarded the idea of vengeance. That wasn't his way, not anymore. If it was his stepmother and stepsisters would have paid heavily for the pain and humiliation they inflicted on him.

_Wait, someone threw the Principal through the window. Azusa's alive and she needs me._

Konatsu's body ached, but he jumped through the ruined second story window.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

The tide of battle had turned, but Ukyou sensed something wrong. Ranma and Akane were holding off the possessed students, so she tried to focus her senses. If she could just find the Mamono, they could end this. It seemed to be somewhere in the school building, but she also sensed the ties that connected it to its minions.

Ukyou closed her eyes and focused. The Mamono's links to others appeared as sickly green glowing lines against a field of darkness, forming a bewildering net pulsing as the strength of their connection to the Mamono changed. Most lines were faint and led to the nearby possessed students. Four were much stronger. One connected to someone inside the school. One, tinged with an odd bluish light, stretched far away and seemed to be slowly fading. Another stretched away in a different direction and had a darker venomous color. The last led downward to...

Ukyou's eyes snapped open. Principal Kuno was on his feet, advancing. His sunglasses were gone, broken, shattered, revealing the sickly greenish light glowing, pulsing in his eyes. His mouth warped in a false, empty smile. A smile of madness.

Ukyou shut her eyes and prayed her plan would work.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

_Is this a dream or a nightmare?_

Events had become a rollercoaster ride between joy and sorrow. Azusa's beautiful hair was gone, destroyed by the madman. Then her pet Charlotte arrived to save her, but Kodachi had crushed the little pig with a gymnastics club. Before Azusa could cry out, the boy she called Pierre appeared to rescue her.

Then the dream became unpleasant again. Kodachi quickly forced the tired and injured boy onto the defensive. Her darling Pierre was losing, her pet was severely injured, and her hair was gone.

_I'm not cute anymore._

She hated that and she hated the Mamono whose fault it was. If Ikari were nearby, it could have used that feeling to convert her into another puppet. Instead, Azusa used her hatred against the being that deluded itself that it was the master of that emotion.

Hatred gave her the strength to snap the gymnastics ribbon that bound her. Azusa wasn't the cleverest person in Nerima, but she paid enough attention to the Mamono Hunter Starter kit to know that one of those creatures was controlling Kodachi.

"Sorry, Pierre. I need to get that nasty Mamono so you'll go on a date with me." The creature would pay for all he had done to her, to her darling Pierre, and to poor helpless little Charlotte.

Konatsu too busy defending himself to reply as the little skater darted into the greenery.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

It took Ranma a few moments to notice Ukyou had stopped fighting. Her eyes were shut and she didn't seem to notice Principal Kuno advancing towards her. The man looked like one of the walking dead except for that awful smile. A chill flowed down Ranma's spine. He was looking at the face of a lunatic, someone pushed beyond hope or fear or pain. The mind was gone, the body a shell to serve the Mamono's will.

"Ucchan!"

Her eyes remained shut; she didn't respond. Ranma did an acrobatic flip straight over Ukyou's head, interposing himself between her and the Principal. Before he could do more than that, a pair of sharpened clippers slashed across his bare chest, leaving narrow lines of blood.

"Ucchan, snap out of it."

He should have stayed focused on the battle. He avoided one blow, but the other slashed deeply into his arm. Ranma bit back a curse and launched the Kachu Tenshin Amaguriken. He just needed to do was hit a few pressure points and the man would fall. His hands lashed out, using the speed technique to strike multiple points in moments.

"Gotcha!"

His opponent grunted and fell, but staggered to his feet with surprising speed. Ranma repeated his technique, striking pressure point after pressure point. The Principal should have been paralyzed and unconscious, but he wasn't even slowing down.

Ranma closed his fists, raining dozens of blows on his opponent. He was sure he felt the Principal's ribs give a little. This time the man only staggered back. A third series of blows resulted in unpleasant cracking noises, but the empty smile stayed on the man's face. This time, he let the madman get too close and new cuts appeared on Ranma's face and arm.

He needed room to maneuver, but the elder Kuno was too close to Ukyou. If he didn't stand and take the damage, the Principal would be able to attack her.

"No one's gonna hurt Ucchan again. Not me, not anyone."

No reaction showed on Principal Kuno's face.

"Shooting Star Kick." Ranma vaulted forward, his body limned in energy, focusing his chi into the strike. It had hurt that monster Tarou, he hoped it would hurt this opponent. The Principal sailed several meters backward and landed heavily.

The man stood again, the strange empty smile still on his face, in spite of broken teeth and blood pouring from his mouth. Ranma had seen nothing like this and he never wanted to see it again. The man was being battered to pieces and he didn't care, he didn't react, he didn't stop. Ranma felt the hair on the back of his neck rise. This shouldn't be happening. No human could take that kind of pain and continue to function.

But Ukyou needed his protection, so Ranma advanced in spite of what he saw.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

It was easier for Ikari to control its remaining puppets, since there were significantly less than before. The gymnastics club ringed the creature, and all were concealed in the luxuriant foliage of the Principal's enormous office.

Sadly, Principal Kuno wouldn't last much longer. The madman with the exquisite sense of taste had suffered several broken ribs and was bleeding internally. That was unfortunate, he'd gone from being Ikari's most despised puppet to his favorite, but he was merely human.

Kodachi remained as a reserve. So did Mousse, though Ikari still had difficulties sensing or controlling him. Somehow the change brought by the Jusenkyou curse muted the connection and the boy wasn't responding. Ikari refocused on Mousse. It felt the hatred in the Chinese boy and used their mystic ties to order him to return.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Please, just stay down," Ranma begged.

The Principal wasn't listening. Nothing stopped him, not pressure points, not chi blasts, nothing. They slowed him down, they pushed him back, but the battered body kept rising to its feet, shambling forward, and slicing at Ranma with the metal clippers.

Ranma didn't know how to stop the man without killing him. A quick glance back showed Ukyou's eyes were still closed. Ranma turned towards his opponent again.

_Am I willing to kill to protect Ucchan?_

Ikari wasn't giving him any choice.

_Maybe I can just cripple him._ Ranma shuddered at the thought, but he wasn't coming up with a better one.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

The glowing lines of magic force connecting the Mamono to its victims were easy to sense, but they writhed and twisted. Ukyou visualized her soulblade, the magical replica of her battle spatula forged from the strength of her soul. It was hard to concentrate with the surrounding sounds of combat, but she knew Ranma would give her the time to do this.

She focussed the energy of her soulblade and projected it forward, seeking to sever the links between Ikari and those it controlled. The lines of light spun and flowed, dancing away from her attacks. She visualized a throwing spatula, focused her energy into it, and flung it into the darkness.

Principal Kuno collapsed like a marionette whose strings were cut, while Ranma stared in confusion.

"You do that, Ucchan?"

"Yes," she whispered and opened her eyes.

"Ranchan!" There was fear in her voice. He'd been slashed many times, and while most of the wounds were superficial, they looked worse.

"Ranchan? Oh kami, no, what happened to you?"

"It ain't nothing. It takes more than that to hurt me. Go ahead and do whatever you did to the rest of these guys, I'll keep 'em off."

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Ikari cursed as the link to Principal Kuno snapped. Then the rest of the glowing links began disappearing. The Mamono had focused too much attention on the connection to Mousse, weakening his hold on the others.

The monster forgot one other thing. A short brunette in tattered pink Mamono Hunter dress and sporting an incredibly bad haircut had reached the creature. Ikari stared in confusion. This was the subtle, ruthless plotter that was willing to sacrifice the Mamono Hunter herself, to get close enough to attack? This puny, silly looking little girl?

Ikari began chuckling. It would finish this pathetic excuse of an Assistant itself.

_No, why take chances._ That's what the gymnastics team for. They sprang from the foliage, surrounding the Assistant Hunter.

"I hold no enmity to those coerced into evil," the little skater declared. She gestured with her left hand, and streams of red and green light began spiraling outwards. As the light struck each of the monster's minions, the girls slumped unconscious to the floor.

"But to those vile being who enslave the hearts and souls of men..."

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

One moment Akane was a human whirlwind, throwing and striking multiple opponents at once. Then they started falling before she could touch them, collapsing for no apparent reason. Soon only she, Ranma, and Ukyou remained standing amid a carpet of unconscious people. Somehow, Ukyou had showed her up again and a spark of envy burned inside.

_It's just not fair. Why does she get all the breaks?_

While Ukyou healed Ranma again, Akane leaped into the Principal's office. That would have proved she wasn't the klutz the boy thought she was.

That is, if he'd been looking. But he wasn't and that still made her angry. She was distracted enough Kodachi almost tagged her with a gymnastics club. As it arced harmlessly into space, Akane took a closer look at the room.

Konatsu lay crumpled in a corner, but the Tendo girl barely noticed him. P-chan lay on the Principal's desk, unconscious and with one leg bent at an angle nature never intended. Blood flowed from his mouth, pooling beneath the tiny body.

"Ryouga!"

Kodachi was fast. Akane was faster. A swift lunge forward let her scoop up the little pig.

"Please, Ryouga. Please be alright."

Akane jumped backwards, sailing out the hole where the window used to be as a razor sharp throwing hoop sliced the desk in half. There wasn't time to land well, but she shielded P-chan with her body.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

"You sure you're alright, Ranchan?" She wished she had something to wipe the blood off. She'd healed him, but the drying blood remained as a reminder of the wounds he'd taken for her. "Sorry, it's all my fault."

"Hey, it's just a few scratches. Nothing to worry about."

She nodded, still absently running her fingers across Ranma's chest, even though the spell was complete. She hesitated, but didn't remove her hand. She felt his pulse and suddenly noticed her own beating in unison.

Ranma grasped her hand with one of his, looked intently into her eyes, and suddenly she was sure her heart had stopped.

_Is he finally going to say the words I've dreamed of?_

"Um, I ain't so good at saying this, Ucchan, but I just...well, that is..."

"Yes?"

"Well, I, um, just wanted to say thanks."

Ukyou sighed. _Well, it's a start._

"I mean, not that I couldn't have taken them all down anyway, but..."

"Ranchan, you big dummy," she whispered. He blinked, realizing she was still staring into his eyes. He felt her grip tighten on his hand and realized she was standing on tiptoes, her lips drawing closer to his own.

Then a body thudded to the pavement nearby.

They reached the Tendo girl in moments, not realizing they were still holding hands.

"Please heal Ryouga." Akane held up a small black pig.

"Um, did you hit your head or something?" Ukyou asked. "That's your pet P-chan. Remember, P-chan is smaller and smarter and has hooves."

Ranma stood open-mouthed. _Akane finally figured it out. I am so dead._ Even more surprising, she'd asked someone for help. His surprise ended as Kodachi bounced a gymnastics club off his skull and dropped him to the pavement.

"Ranchan!"

The boy groaned and sat up. "Man, she hits almost as hard as Akane." He rubbed his head, then sprang to his feet. A second club whizzed past him and embedded into the concrete.

"Don't worry, I'll stop Kodachi. You better heal Ry...um, P-chan. He don't look so good. And maybe the Principal." Ranma winced. "He don't look so good, either."

"Ryouga, his name is Ryouga, you jerk," Akane insisted.

Ranma added a faint, "Yeah, it is," and leapt towards Kodachi.

Light glowed in the gemstones in Ukyou's Yoma ring, then flowed towards the little pig, engulfing it. She gestured a final time and the light faded. P-chan's eyes blinked open. He saw hope and fear in Akane's face. She kissed the little pig directly on the mouth. Both P-chan and Ukyou's eyes bulged in astonishment, though only he fainted.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Ikari hadn't expected the battle to end so quickly, nor for the gymnastics team to fall so swiftly to the silly little Assistant Mamono Hunter. Perhaps it should have focused more energy on them instead of Kodachi, perhaps it shouldn't have underestimated the tiny girl, but downing its minions was one thing. She was only an Assistant Hunter, and freeing the other girls should have drained her magics for the day. She could perhaps attempt a banishing, but it wasn't going to give her the time for that and she couldn't possible have the strength to defeat Ikari.

The creature began chuckling. It was still chuckling when Azusa chanted "Blades of my soul appear." The girl now held a staff with paired blades projecting from each end. Most humans would have noticed their resemblance to the blades of ice skates.

Azusa screamed with rage and spun the bladed staff. Pain shattered Ikari's smugness, as the weapon scored a burning line across the Mamono's armored brown hide, slicing it like paper instead of the wood it resembled. Ikari howled and swung a thorn-covered limb, but Azusa danced back out of reach. The monster vowed not to underestimate her again.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Kodachi wanted a more open place where she could use her ranged weapons to their full effect, or at least the opportunity to retreat into the near jungle deeper in the gigantic office. The Mamono gave her neither choice, forcing her to fight where she was, interposing herself between itself and those seeking its destruction.

Ranma's movements were swift, but few of his strikes connected. He was reluctant to hit a woman, doubly reluctant after his battle against her father, and Kodachi was moving faster than normal. She wielded a gymnastics club in each hand, using them to compensate for Ranma's greater reach.

Those times Ranma struck her, he hit pressure points, seeking to paralyze nerves and render her unconscious. It worked no better than it had on her father; the control the Mamono exerted shielded the girl from the effects. If its control lapsed, she would collapse, but Ikari intended to use the girl up if that's what it took to win.

Kodachi had done little to either Azusa or Konatsu. She didn't really know the ninja and she only hated the skater a little. But she remembered the battle on the ice from several weeks back. The kiss between Ranma and Ukyou was etched across her brain and she hated them almost as much as she hated herself.

Ranma and Kodachi circled the damaged room, their movements flowing into a graceful dance of strikes and blocks. It held a strange, dangerous, potentially lethal beauty, but the dance couldn't last for long. Everything was strangely silent as neither spared the energy for speech. Even Kodachi's typical laughter was gone.

They circled till she was silhouetted by the splintered hole where the window had been. The gymnast performed a simple effortless backflip, dropping to the ground below. Ranma's heart skipped a beat. He was closer to the Mamono, but Kodachi was closer to Ukyou. That couldn't be an accident.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Akane limped away cradling the unconscious P-chan. Ukyou was glad the Tendo girl had found Ryouga, not only for the selfish reason of reducing the number of rivals pursuing Ranma. She genuinely believed the other pair made a good couple. She thought they deserved happiness together, that's why she had tried to set them up before.

Ukyou knew Ryouga would be fine now that she healed him, but Akane was acting with her heart, not her mind and she needed to carry the boy to safety while he was trapped in his nearly helpless cursed form.

"Okay, now to patch up the Headmaster from Hell." Then they could go find the Mamono. She wasn't worried; she wasn't really alone. Ranma was nearby and he could protect her from anything. But he'd been outmaneuvered and she wasn't paying attention to the battle anymore.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Ikari avoided physical combat for a reason. Not because it was poor fighter, for it was actually quite dangerous. It needed to maintain its control of Kodachi so she could deal with the Mamono Hunter and her Guardian. It also needed to finish off the annoying little assistant Mamono Hunter personally before she managed a banishing spell and it was hard to focus on both tasks simultaneously.

Ikari flailed at Azusa with its limbs, but she continued to evade its blows. At least she was so busy dodging she had no time to chant spells.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Miss Tendo, are you injured?"

Akane blinked at Hinako, stifling the resentment that she had lived while Nabiki died. The teacher no longer cycled between a perky child and an overendowed disciplinarian, though Akane didn't know why. Only in Nerima would someone becoming more normal be considered strange.

"N...no, I'm not hurt," Akane admitted grudgingly. That wasn't strictly true, though her injuries were minor.

"What's happening over there, then?"

Akane sketched the situation as briefly as she could. Hinako frowned for a moment.

"You stay here. I'll go help."

"But..."

"I'm responsible for my students. Besides, Ranma saved my life." Hinako hesitated. She hadn't been afraid for years. Not since the first time she'd been in the hospital. The doctors and nurses were all so very kind to her when she was a weak helpless child. It took a while for that child to understand no one expected her to ever leave.

Day had followed day, as the child Hinako grew weaker and weaker. Then the funny little man appeared and taught her how to absorb the chi of others. It gave her the added strength she needed to survive and recover. She was glad to use it on the nurses that were so angry with the funny old man. She'd thought Happosai was rather silly to want to steal the nurses' underwear, but he saved her life and she was determined to repay him, even if she didn't understand why he did such strange things.

She'd nearly died when the first Mamono appeared and she wasn't eager to face another. But Ranma had also saved her life and it was much easier to repay an honorable man than a dishonorable one.

Now she was afraid again. Afraid of lost opportunities. Akane's father wasn't a perfect man, but he was a kind man and very loyal. His tolerance of his old friend Genma's behavior proved that. So did his loyalty to a wife dead for over a decade. Hinako still hoped to convince Soun that being with her wouldn't be disloyalty to his first wife. She smiled and prayed her dream would become more than that some day.

Akane's face betrayed her concern.

"Don't worry, everything will be alright." Hinako hoped her statement wasn't a lie.

Akane didn't look so certain.

"This is about giri, duty, about repaying my debt. I'm sure you understand."

"Giri? Most people think that was left behind in the samurai era."

"Yes, but we're martial artists of the Anything Goes School. You know why I have to do this."

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Ranma flipped over the ruined desk and through the hole where the window used to be. He dropped to the pavement below and crouched defensively. Unconscious bodies still lay scattered across the pavement. There was no sign of Akane or Ryouga, but he wasn't looking for them.

It was quiet, deathly quiet compared to the battle that had raged before. A cold breeze reminded Ranma that he didn't have a shirt on. The only movement was a flapping piece of paper caught against the base of one of the trees. The breeze pinned it there for a moment, before it slid loose and fluttered away.

He wasn't looking at Kuno's poem anymore, but at the tree that momentarily stopped it. The boy scanned upwards and found both people he was searching for.

Kodachi balanced on a branch far above the ground. She wasn't close enough for Ranma to see the unnatural greenish light pulsing in her eyes. He didn't need to see that to know something was wrong. It was what he heard, or rather still didn't hear. Kodachi remained silent. There was no sound of laughter, no boasts or declarations of love for Ranma. Nothing but the gentle whisper of the wind.

A second person stood on the same tree branch. Ukyou was having a much harder time balancing since a gymnastics ribbon bound her legs together. A second acted as a gag, preventing her from speaking. The third pinned her arms to her sides. Kodachi gripped the end of this last ribbon.

The gymnast waited till she knew Ranma saw Ukyou, then placed a gymnastics club between the other girl's shoulder blades and pushed. Ukyou fell forward at an angle and suddenly stopped, her weight supported by the slender ribbon. If the gymnast released her grip, Ukyou would fall. If Ukyou's feet lost their purchase on the tree branch, she would fall.

He wasn't sure what to do.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Konatsu woke and put his hand to the side of his head. It came away sticky with blood.

_This new habit of getting clubbed over the head by female martial artists is not enjoyable. At least Kodachi isn't likely to claim me as husband material._

The room was in worse condition than when the girl rendered him unconscious. The desk had been sliced in two and the same thing must have happened to Akane's helpless pet. The last thing he recalled was Azusa running deeper into the room, searching for the monster. Logic suggested Ranma and the other martial artists had followed, so he limped forward.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Ikari relaxed. Even if she lost, Kodachi would keep the Mamono Hunter and her Guardian distracted long enough. Now it merely needed to finish off Azusa and...

No, it had a better idea. It sensed the hatred the girl held for it and those it controlled, hatred it could use.

Ikari chuckled again as it prepared to launch a flight of venomous thorns at the girl. Soon she would be merely another puppet to use till her own hatred destroyed her.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Ukyou was angry with herself for being captured, but it wasn't really her fault. Each healing spell cast took a share of energy, and she had cast dozens of spells. Now her wobbly legs barely supported the exhausted girl's weight.

She understood why Ranma hesitated at the bottom of the tree. If he attacked Kodachi, she'd release the ribbon and Ukyou would plummet to the concrete. But while he waited, Ikari could send more puppets to attack the distracted Ranma. Using her little remaining strength, Ukyou pushed forward, away from the branch. Kodachi wasn't expecting this and almost didn't release the ribbon in time.

But she did, so only one girl with long dark hair plunged toward the ground. Ukyou had taken a risk; certain Ranma would catch her before impact.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Konatsu had a better view of the Mamono this time. It stood bigger than the largest man, but its bark-covered form was hunched forward. Woody spines projected from its back and sides, discouraging barehanded attacks. Several branchlike arms clawed at Azusa and she retreated a bit, still staring defiantly at the monster. It didn't seem to have a head, only a collection of leafy tendrils and there was no sign of how the thing perceived its surroundings.

Konatsu had studied human anatomy as part of his ninja training, but it wouldn't help against this thing. He had no idea where the creature's weak points were, presuming it had any. Maybe if he had an ax, but he didn't even have his sword anymore and for first time he truly regretted that decision. Konatsu did have shuriken and launched a double handful at the Mamono. Most of them stuck in the creature's woody hide, but Ikari ignored both them and him.

The ninja launched a series of punches against the monster's side. He was agile enough to avoid skewering himself on the creature's projecting spikes, but he still didn't seem to be damaging it. The creature continued ignoring the boy. A pair of gnarled brown arms rose and Konatsu realized the creature was about to fire a barrage of thorns at Azusa.

"Get down, you little idiot!"

"Pierre? She turned towards him, ignoring the monster. "Pierre, I knew you'd come for me."

Konatsu said something short and not particularly elegant, then tackled Azusa.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

If he moved quickly enough he could spring from limb to limb and rescue Ukyou. Unfortunately, Ranma had forgotten something. Akane usually just waited to be rescued. Shampoo only needed rescue when she was trapped in her weaker cursed form. Ukyou had the physical and emotional strength to attempt to free herself.

Ranma was leaping between branches when he saw Ukyou fall. The boy twisted in midair, stretching towards his fiancée. His reaching fingers caught the edge of Ukyou's tattered skirt, but it tore free.

He'd sworn he wouldn't fail her again. The ribbon streaming behind Ukyou offered a second target and Ranma snatched for it. This time his hand found a firm grip around the ribbon, but he couldn't reach the branches anymore. Both teens plummeted towards the unyielding ground.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

_Soft? Warm? Round?_

Konatsu lay atop Azusa. His eyes widened as he saw her cheeks turn pink, like her version of the Mamono Hunter Dress, while her lips were pursed in surprise. Both teens stared at his hands and just where they were.

_I thought this kind of stuff only happened to Ranma._

"Ooh, Pierre, you're so aggressive."

He pushed himself off of the girl, trying to ignore her short involuntary gasp and rising to his knees. "I'm sorry, I was just trying to..."

"Pierre?"

Konatsu fell heavily to the floor. He couldn't feel the thorns stuck in his back, but he guessed he'd been hit at several times. He did feel the poison in those thorns, burning their way through his veins, seeking to force him into Ikari's service. Konatsu's body writhed as the flesh mirrored the contest of wills between the ninja and the Mamono.

The faces of the female ninja who raised him to be a girl formed before his eyes, faces full of ugliness, a physical ugliness that couldn't match the ugliness of their souls. These cruel, manipulative women were the closest things he had to family and they had abused that. It would be easy to hate them, and Ikari probed for that.

But Konatsu didn't hate his false family anymore, he pitied them. He'd seen the strength and warmth of Ukyou's kind and generous spirit and freed himself from the darkness of the life he had lived. Those poor pathetic women were still trapped in the darkness; their only companions the other members of the clan. The punishment they inflicted on each other was worse than any vengeance Konatsu was willing to inflict. They weren't worth hating.

Ikari focused new images in Konatsu's mind. Ukyou appeared, her mouth curved in a smile, her eyes gleaming with joy. Konatsu's heart twisted as he knew this look would never be for him. This was Ukyou thinking of Ranma, dreaming of Ranma. She never looked at Konatsu this way and he knew she never would.

But he could never hate her. She never led him on, never gave him the slightest hint she might consider him to be anything more than a friend. Sorrow, that was his, but never, ever hatred of Lady Ukyou.

The Mamono wasn't finished with him. He saw Ukyou again, but her eyes were clouded by tears, her face downcast, her shoulders slumped. This was the look Ukyou tried to hide from everyone - the sad, lonely, rejected little girl. The one who was forgotten and abandoned by her peers, by her family. By Ranma.

Ikari sensed the opening in Konatsu's defenses and pulsing energy surged. Konatsu fought the urge to hate Ranma for the ways he hurt Ukyou, but Ikari was strong and used to manipulating others. In some way, the ninja sensed that. He was tired of being manipulated, tired of being controlled by others. He knew if he hurt Ranma, he would hurt Ukyou and he clung to that knowledge as the wave of dark energy washed through his soul.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Hinako didn't expect to find a bound Ukyou lying atop a semi-conscious Ranma. He'd shielded her from the fall with his body. Ukyou's eyes darted back and forth, trying to signal something to the teacher. Hinako decided it would be simpler to remove the gag around the girl's mouth.

"Kodachi. Watch out."

Hinako dodged back, narrowly avoiding the lash of the whiplike gymnastics ribbon.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Azusa stepped past the contorted body of the boy she called Pierre. Hatred glowed in her eyes, but it was her hatred, not the poisonous product of the Mamono's control. Her voice sounded low and even and not the tiniest bit cute.

"You hurt Pierre. You hurt Charlotte."

She paused. Any martial artist could have sensed chi energy building. When Azusa grew angry she was capable of feats of tremendous strength. She had moved well beyond mere anger.

"Kawaii no Kamaitachi!"

Vaguely, Konatsu wondered what kind of technique would be called the Cutting Whirlwind of Cuteness, even as pain wracked his body. Azusa held her strange bladed staff level at her waist and began spinning in a tight circle, using her rollerblades to pirouette almost as fast as she could on ice skates. The girl's features blurred and the staff began whirring from the speed.

A demented pink top named Azusa spun towards Ikari. The creature contemptuously extended a vinewrapped arm to swat her away. There was a buzzing noise and the limb disintegrated in a spray of splinters and greenish sap.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Ukyou struggled against the bindings, but Kodachi showed a skill at knot tying that made one wonder if it was another of her bizarre hobbies. She felt Ranma shift underneath her as he regained consciousness and her heart leaped with joy. She rolled off him and looked closely at his face.

"Ranchan?"

His eyes fluttered twice and then opened.

"Ucchan, are you alright?"

She smiled. Now that her fiancé was awake she was sure he'd defeat Kodachi and then the Mamono.

She was wrong twice.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

He felt the poison in his veins subside. Some of it was his struggle in the battle of wills, but most of it was because of Azusa. The Mamono had been twice, perhaps three times her height and many times her weight, but now it looked like someone had fed chunks of it into a tree shredder and scattered them across the room. The mangled creature still moved feebly, but it was too badly maimed to attack or escape.

Azusa spun to a stop and bounded up and down with glee. "I did it! I did it! I beat the icky Mamono! Now Pierre has to go on a date with me!"

Konatsu shuddered, but decided a date with the little skater was probably better than being possessed by the Mamono.

Probably.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Ranma only had time to untie Ukyou's arms before Kodachi attacked. It remained a mystery how the Black Rose concealed so many gymnastics weapons beneath her skimpy leotard, but she flung them with a fury that kept Ranma and Hinako occupied with dodging. Ukyou's legs were still securely bound, leaving her unable to avoid the missiles, so Ranma scooped his fiancée into his arms, dodging for her.

Suddenly, Kodachi hesitated. The marionette's strings were severed and she finally felt the effect of the pressure points Ranma had struck earlier. Limbs froze and Kodachi fell from the tree. Hinako stepped forward to catch the girl, but Kodachi still retained some control of her body. The dark-haired gymnast had seen she could never win Ranma's love, never even gain his attention for long.

_No one really cares about me. No one would miss me. I have no friends and my family is too wrapped in their obsessions to care what happens to me._

She remembered the dark and beautiful dream she'd envisioned before Ikari seized control of her life.

_A beautiful broken angel suspended between heaven and earth. A vision of black and white and red swinging in the gentle breeze._

Kodachi forced a paralyzed arm to move. A ribbon lashed out, wrapping around the tree limb. The other end wrapped securely around her own neck.

Three people watched in horror as Kodachi plunged towards the ground. She was smiling.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Azusa stopped her victory dance, suddenly realizing what she must look like. Her hair was hacked short in a hideous bowl cut and she was covered with splinters and greenish sap.

_I'm not cute anymore and Pierre can see I'm not cute._

Streams of water poured from Azusa's eyes as the horror of that thought struck her. She stood motionless for a moment and then fled, tears still streaming from her eyes.

Konatsu didn't know what was wrong, but he limped after her, hoping he could help the girl.

Ikari lay in a ruined heap behind them, a limbless lump wrapped in pain. _The fools! I'm not finished yet. This part of me is almost helpless, but I left a part of myself back in the greenhouse._ The monster focused on the link, intending to transport its spirit to safety, like it had before when in fled the inferno of Ryugenzawa.

But the link was gone, erased as it had never existed.

_How? The Mamono Hunter is here. The Guardian is here. The Assistant is here. How? How?_

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Steel flashed through the air. A sharpened mini spatula severed the ribbon wrapped around Kodachi's neck and stuck quivering into the tree. The gymnast wanted to curse as her consciousness faded and Miss Hinako caught the falling girl. The weight and something more drove the teacher to her knees and she trembled for a moment before turning to Ranma and Ukyou.

"I'll make sure she gets to the hospital," Hinako promised. There was sorrow in her eyes.

"Right, me and Ucchan will get the Mamono."

"Ranchan?"

"Yes?"

She was about to remind her fiancé that he still carried her in his arms, but maybe now wasn't the best time for that. She had a brief image of both of them dressed far more formally as he carried her across the threshold and smiled.

"Ucchan?"

"What? Oh yeah, thanks saving me."

"Umm, sure. Hey, maybe I oughta put you down. After we get the ribbons off your legs. Not that I'm trying to say you're heavy or nothing, it's just..."

"Ranchan?"

"Yeah?"

"Nevermind," she sighed.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Exhausted, she leaned heavily on him as they cautiously explored the Principal's office. The mangled Mamono had struggled only a few feet into the undergrowth by the time they found it.

"What happened to it?"

"I dunno, Ucchan, but I think the Mamono's dead."

"It's still moving a little." She shut her eyes. "It's weak, but it's not dead. And it's starting to infest the plants. And the floorboards, too."

"Let me give you room to do that magic stuff of yours, then." He stepped back and she dropped to her knees. Still, banishing the creature was a formality, but tiring enough that Ukyou had difficulty standing afterwards. Ranma lifted her in his arms again.

"Don't worry, Ucchan, I'll get you home."

The sleepy girl leaned her head against Ranma's bare shoulder and smiled. She glanced up to see him gazing back at her. She wanted to kiss him, but she felt too tired for even that. Hesitantly, Ranma smiled back. Ukyou smiled even more broadly.

_I'm with Ranchan. Everything will be alright._


	8. Shinrou Part 1

Mamono Hunter Ukyou

Shinrou: Shadow of Fear

Part 1

By Edward A. Simons

Based on characters and situations created by Takahashi Rumiko. Ranma 1/2 and characters copyright Shogakukan, Kitty Animation Circle, and Takahashi Rumiko. Devil Hunter Yohko and characters copyright NCS, Toho Company, LTD., and Mad House. This story revised 2005 by Edward Simons.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

In the silence of the night

How we shiver with affright

At the melancholy menace of their tone!

For every sound that floats

From the rust within their throats,

Is a groan:

Edgar Allen Poe, "The Bells"

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Hinako Ninomiya sighed. The fire department had reached Furinkan High first. They were one of the few emergency services that wasn't needed. What was supposed to be a house of education had degenerated into a battlefield again and most of the other teachers had spent their time cowering instead of helping.

At first, it appeared that nearly a quarter of the student body needed medical treatment, but the majority were merely stunned or unconscious. Ukyou had used her magic to heal most of the seriously injured, but she wasn't able to attend to everyone. Principal Kuno had been missed in the confusion and his were the worst injuries.

Kodachi was bundled off under observation. The attendants would try to ensure that the darkness which had overwhelmed her life would not have another chance to claim her.

Most of the skilled martial artists had already left the school grounds. They had no way of knowing another battle was also taking place in Nerima.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Konatsu almost made it off the school grounds before he started feeling dizzy again. The ninja dropped to his knees. Ikari was gone, but he still felt the aftereffects of its venom in his blood. Konatsu rolled onto his side and groaned. It felt like he had a stomach full of bile, yet he was drained, weak, and unable to expel the vileness.

"Hey, it's another kid. You okay, honey?"

They'd mistaken him for a girl again, but he was too weak to correct the paramedics as they loaded him into an ambulance and rushed him away. The siren's screams made his head throb with pain. It had been that kind of day.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Great-grandmother, you are getting slow."

Cologne realized Shampoo had seen her reflected in the screen of the computer.

_She's right. I am getting sloppy, far too sloppy._

Cologne balanced for another few moments at the end of her wooden staff. "Let us finish this, then."

Shampoo spun the wheelchair so she faced her great-grandmother and nodded silently. There was something in her eyes, something...disconcerting. The older Amazon had expected anger, perhaps fear, maybe even hatred. Instead, there was something calculating in her great-granddaughter's eye.

"What does the law say, elder?" Shampoo didn't have to say which law.

Cologne's voice was soft, laced with an unutterable weariness. "As you know, our laws state that any Amazon too weak to participate in battle is no longer useful to her tribe. It becomes the duty of her family to ensure she joins her ancestors so she does not become a burden. It would be best if you do not fight this, child."

"So you lied to me all these years."

"What?"

"You lied to me, elder. You claimed strength came from a warrior's heart and soul, not from their body. That a warrior's spirit would triumph even when her body failed. That was what made a true warrior, a true Amazon. But you were lying."

"We accuse males of only being interested in our bodies," the girl continued, "but at least there's desire there, perhaps passion or even joy. Our laws make us even less. We're only tools, slaves to our duties. When the body falters, when it can no longer match the strength of the spirit, we discard that person like a broken tool. No...No, it's worse. At least we'd try to repair a broken tool."

Shampoo paused. She no longer looked at Cologne, but stared blankly at the floor. "Ranma...Ranma was lucky to...lucky that he never loved me. All...all he was...all he would have been was another thing you could use to breed better Amazons. That's all any of us are to you. That's all **I** am to you."

Shampoo paused again, ignoring the tears tracking down her cheeks. Her lips were trembling slightly, just like her heart, but she ignored that, too.

Cologne remained silent. Normally, she had all the answers, but she didn't know how to reply to her great-granddaughter. _The rules of Amazon law exist to give order and structure to life. They exist to strengthen and protect the clan, but somehow Shampoo is twisting them to mean something darker, crueler, more arbitrary._

She didn't have to listen to the girl's words anymore; the bitterness of her great-granddaughter's tone made her meaning obvious.

Eventually, Shampoo paused for breath, then spoke what she expected to be her final words. "I suppose I still have one use to the tribe, since all they value is my body. The law was written for older warriors, crippled by wounds or age. I'm still young enough to bear children. I can still carry on the Amazon line." It was the closest the proud girl would ever come to pleading for her life.

"I am not certain that I can convince the council of elders. You haven't been very successful at marrying the man who defeated you. You know our laws will accept no other."

"Then kill me now." There was no fear in the girl's eyes, only contempt.

"I will not do that, child. I must consult with the council. Your proposal is unexpected, but there may be some chance of their agreeing to it."

Cologne bounded away. She doubted she'd be able to persuade the Amazon elders, but any delay bought her great-granddaughter more time. Time that she prayed the girl would use wisely.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Akane, you're home early."

The girl mumbled something about school being closed and limped upstairs. Kasumi reached out her hand, but stopped herself. She wanted to help her little sister, but Akane didn't seem ready to accept it. That hurt, but on another level, it was good to see her sister being a little more independent.

She'd told Ranma that Akane could be very childish, but that wasn't entirely her little sister's fault. When Daddy or big sister Kasumi tried to solve all her problems for her, it became easy to expect them to continue doing that even though Akane wasn't a child anymore. How many times had she been captured or kidnapped and instead of using her skills, she waited passively for rescue?

There was another reason the older Tendo girl didn't move to help her sister; that dark night when Nabiki died and Shampoo came so very close to joining her. Kasumi had tried to distract Konatsu from his pain and fear and guilt, but Kasumi's own words had frightened her.

"They're still human, with human faults. They helped free you, but you sound like you're re-enslaving yourself to them. Love them, yes, but be your own person. Find what you want to do with your life, and do it. The people that care about you will understand."

The words had been intended as honest advice to the ninja, but she knew they applied to herself as well. She'd submerged herself in caring for her father and sisters until she wasn't sure she knew who Kasumi was or what she wanted anymore. In trying to help her family, she became trapped in a role that was far too confining now. Worse, she realized her actions only reinforced the childish dependence both Akane and their father had fallen into. It felt selfish, but she needed to let them make mistakes on their own. It was far past time they all got over her mother's death.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Where is he?"

Tofu didn't open the door, so Ranma awkwardly fumbled with it, nearly dropping the still sleeping Ukyou. Carrying her had been more difficult than he'd expected. He'd carried Akane a few times when he rescued her, but Ukyou was taller and heavier and he'd needed to carry her a lot farther. He guessed his weakness was an aftereffect of using the Perfect Shishi Hokoudan. For once, he regretted his gift for learning new chi techniques.

"Doc?" He whispered, trying not to wake his fiancée.

There was no response, leaving him with a dilemma. He needed to rest before carrying Ukyou the remainder of the way home. He didn't want to wake her and he certainly wasn't going to dump the girl on the floor. That left his futon.

_I hope that'll be okay. After all, Ucchan didn't kill me over the love hotel incident. She didn't even call me stupid for not thinking to use the phone instead._

His stomach reminded him that he hadn't eaten lunch and it was rapidly approaching dinnertime so he moved toward the kitchen. He might not be as good a cook as Ukyou, but he was a lot better in the kitchen than Akane.

_Of course, P-chan could probably do a better job there._

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

_There's no point to any of this. My life is meaningless. Nothing I try works. No one I care about pays attention to me. All my successes become failures and I'm tired of trying anymore._

"Sorry, Akane. I wanted to be your hero, but all I did was hurt you." Gosunkugi ground the heels of his hands into his eyes, failing to stop the flooding tears. He exhaled slowly and let his hands fall limp and useless to his sides. His breath formed a brief cloud of white before disappearing. It seemed appropriate.

"That's all I seem to do, hurt people. It's the only thing I'm good at."

The scrawny boy stared from the bridge to the frozen canal below. He was tempted to jump, but with his luck he wouldn't break the ice or even his neck. He'd probably merely knock himself unconscious and for now he was more afraid of looking stupid than dying.

Gosunkugi pulled an object from his pocket and let it swing back and forth on the end of the string looped through it. It was a strange stone, a swirl of blue and white, a stylized ying-yang of crystal. The pendant matched the symbol on the front of Ukyou's Mamono Hunter dress. The stone was called Shimi-Seki. When Ukyou opened the package from her grandmother in the school clinic all those weeks ago, the pendant had dropped unnoticed to the floor.

Except Gosunkugi had noticed. It had seemed symbolic that both he and it were ignored and he spent the intervening weeks researching information about the crystal. It could heighten both natural and arcane senses. It could be used to focus mystic powers. It was useless to Gosunkugi; he had no mystic abilities to enhance. Still he'd hammered himself against a wall of impossibility, repeatedly attempting to use it, always unsuccessfully.

Aijou hadn't lied. The truth was a much more painful tool, especially when used against those that deluded themselves. Hikaru Gosunkugi was a hollow one, a null. He could never use the stone's magic, nor any other. The stone caught the rays of the fading sun. It spun a final time and the boy dropped it into his pocket.

He pulled out his collection of photographs instead. All were of Akane - at school, at athletic competitions, at home, with her friends. In most of the pictures, she was smiling. None of the smiles were for Gosunkugi. He'd rather be pounded or yelled at like Kuno or Ranma, rather get any scrap of attention than be forgotten, but the girl he loved ignored him, just like everyone else.

He'd stood on the bridge since he'd regained consciousness and fled the lunchtime battle at Furinkan High. Now the sun was dying, throwing the world into darkness again. He leaned against the railing and stared at the ice-covered canal below him, but he was still afraid.

"No one cares about me."

That wasn't true, it was only almost true. Kogane Musashi seemed to care about him, or at least she seemed to like him, but she was a ghost. He looked back at his photo collection. Several seconds of silence passed and then he hurled the album over the railing. Photographs fluttered down like dead leaves. Autumn had passed, they were well into winter, and perhaps when spring came he would have the courage. The courage to join Kogane.

The last of the light faded, leaving Gosunkugi in darkness.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Food usually disappeared when Ranma was around and he probably could have developed the Kachu Tenshin Amaguriken technique just by practicing eating. Now that he was paying for his own food, he realized how much work Kasumi had put in trying to keep his father and him fed. Ranma glanced toward his room. Kasumi wasn't the only one who'd invested time and effort feeding him.

He sighed. Instant ramen wasn't as good as anything either girl cooked, but it was quick and filling. Ranma grabbed another cup and carried it back for his fiancée. She was still asleep and he didn't want to wake her, so he sat down and watched the girl. She was beautiful and for the moment she seemed happy. Ranma sighed again and ran his fingers through his hair.

_Some day Ucchan's gonna wake up and realize I'm not as perfect as she thinks._

Letting her get close would only speed the day she'd realize that and get hurt. If he pushed her away, like he had for the past few weeks, he'd hurt her, too. There were no easy solutions. Some were simple like the dark seduction of self-destruction Ikari had tempted him with. But none were easy, not if you cared about others. His father hadn't and thanks to Genma, Ranma had too many obligations to too many girls.

_Even if I was triplets, I couldn't marry them all._

He knew this couldn't be about duty or he'd only cause more pain. Somehow, he had to sort out his feelings, to separate obligation, desire, and friendship from love.

_So what is love and how can I tell if I'm in love? How can I know? Who can I even ask? Tofu is a nice guy, but he gets kinda strange around Kasumi._

Okay, strange was too mild of a word, but he couldn't think of a better one.

_Who does that leave? Maybe Kasumi, if I dared go near the Tendo place right now. No, too many people there hate me or would try to force something on me. My folks wouldn't be any help, either._

Nodoka seemed focused on only one of the obligations Genma inflicted on her son.

"She talks about honor as if the Tendo family is the only one that has it." Ranma whispered. "What about the honor of the Kuonji family." He glanced at the sleeping girl. "Or the honor of the Daikoku family or the Amazon tribe." Perhaps Nodoka didn't know about the other obligations, perhaps he needed to tell her. The boy sighed, realizing that **he** probably didn't know all the people he was engaged to. He hoped that if his mother knew of his dilemma, she'd consider the honor of the other people involved.

_If she doesn't, she's more of a stranger than I ever imagined._

His father had offered advice before, some of it useful, but never on this subject where he clung tenaciously to the mantra that only the Tendo engagement mattered. His father's reasons were as dark and mysterious as his name. Besides, he didn't seem the best choice to ask about questions of love. _Sometimes, it seems like the only person Pops loves is Pops._ The boy marveled that his parents were still married.

_Pops sure doesn't deserve it. Not after what he did to Mom._

The boy had spent years trying to forget the unpleasant memories of his life, but he couldn't do that anymore. Denying them denied part of what he was. He recalled the scenes of his mother crying in an empty house, visions the Mamono of Sorrow had forced on him in its attempt to control him. In his heart, Ranma knew those visions were no illusions, but hard cruel truth. His dad abandoned his mom for over a decade, but she still waited for him, still hoped and longed for his return.

_How can she forgive Pops for that?_

Genma was stupid and selfish and thoughtless and Nodoka still wanted to be with him.

_The old furball sure doesn't deserve her._

The chopsticks came to his mouth empty. Ranma realized he'd devoured the instant ramen he brought with him. He sighed and refocused on his current problem.

_So who can explain love to me? Who can help me understand my feelings?_

Someone must be able to help him. Ranma put the empty cup down and tried to rub the sleep out of his eyes, but he was exhausted from the aftereffects of the Mamono's possession and soon he lay asleep on the floor.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

She hadn't expected to still be breathing. Shampoo still wasn't sure what she wanted to do now, but dying wasn't part of it. She didn't realize Cologne was proud of her for standing up to the older woman. By doing that, the girl took another step towards being an adult. That's what her great-grandmother had been looking for in both Shampoo and Ranma when she trapped him in female form during the Phoenix pill escapade.

But hours had passed since Cologne left. Relief had turned to boredom, and eventually boredom turned to concern. Konatsu should have returned by now and Ranma should have escorted Ukyou home from school.

Shampoo switched on the radio. In the movies, that would always provide the information needed. This wasn't the movies. So many bizarre incidents occurred at Furinkan High that the press virtually ignored them now. The girl wasted several minutes fiddling with the radio before she had an idea.

_Ukyou must have an address book somewhere._

It didn't take long to find. The first page listed only three phone numbers. The first was Ukyou's father. The second was her Grandmother Mano. The third said Ranchan in letters that covered half the page and was surrounded by doodles of hearts and smiley faces. The original number was for the Tendo dojo. That was crossed out and Shampoo recognized the new number as Dr. Tofu's.

She turned the page and found a row of neatly written numbers. Every single one was business related. The next page was the same way. So were all the rest. Business, business, business. No friends. None except Ranma.

Shampoo turned back to the first page. A closer look showed the remains of tearstains had wrinkled the paper around Ranma's name.

_Is he really her only friend?_

The Chinese girl shivered. How lonely of a life had the girl lived? Shampoo had grown up in the village, surrounded by friends and showered with respect for her martial skills. She hadn't known loneliness till she came to Nerima. Ukyou must have lived with it her whole life.

The Amazon hadn't thought she would ever pity her rival.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Soun Tendo stared out over his yard. Darkness obscured the trees and the koi pond, but the snow-covered scene was tranquil and beautiful in the moonlight.

_How long has it been since I noticed that?_

Since his wife died, the days and the nights had blurred together in a gray featureless sameness. Soun felt like he'd just woken up and in that time he'd lost a decade and a daughter.

He glanced back into the house and realized he'd lost all three of his children. Kasumi and Akane had their own lives now with their own desires and their own friends. They were living life without him, just like he'd taught them to.

He turned back to the darkness. It was too late for him to change. He couldn't...didn't want to admit that he'd wasted the last ten years going through empty motions. A decade wrapped in quiet, or sometimes not-so-quiet sorrow where no one could really reach him anymore, maybe not even himself.

He didn't want to face the future. The memories of the past were safe and comfortable, even if they weren't always pleasant. The future was frightening; it brought uncontrolled, unpredictable, unpleasant change. Change had stolen his wife and daughter. Change had caused the disappearance of Ranma, the only one he trusted to carry on the dojo.

"Your move, Tendo," his friend interrupted. Soun turned back to the shogi board. The position of the pieces was almost completely changed, but that was how shoji games with Genma went. It wasn't a battle of wits, but one of reflexes. Soun slipped back into the old familiar rhythms. The empty meaningless rhythms of his life.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

A lonely figure stood on the roof of Furinkan High, illuminated by the pale moonlight. Below, the clock that faced the schoolyard showed it was not long after dusk, though it felt darker than midnight. Still farther below lay the shattered concrete of the crater left by Ranma's Perfect Shishi Hokoudan. The figure took a halting step toward the edge.

"No." The whisper was lost in the darkness.

"No," Hinako repeated. "This isn't my pain."

But she'd felt it ever since she touched Kodachi; the pain, the emptiness, the self-destructive sorrow.

"This isn't me. I want to live."

But to do that she needed to find a way to release the emotions she'd absorbed. Suppressing them hadn't worked; they'd only grown more intense. Acting on them would leave her literally broken across the concrete below.

_There's another way._

In a practiced motion, the teacher brought her hands together, touching the tips of the index fingers and thumbs together, forming a ring.

"Happo no yen coin return." The words were a whisper instead of a shout, but energy glowed between Hinako's fingers, then shot forward, driving away the darkness.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Why, Ucchan, why? All I do is hurt you."

The words echoed in his dreams as events replayed in agonizingly slow motion. Ukyou's battered body arced through the air, dark hair and tattered clothing fluttering behind her, body haloed by broken shards of the wall of the school, thanks to his heedless use of the Shishi Hokoudan. Her face contorted in pain, then flashed through sorrow and anger, and just before she spun away to slam helplessly into the wall, forgiveness.

"Don't worry, I'll take care of you, Ucchan." The hollow promise mocked him, a promise made and repeated during the disaster with the Kuonji family secret sauce. A promise broken again and again.

Other scenes flashed through his dreams, dark echoes of the visions Aijou had forced on him. A sobbing six-year-old girl abandoned at the side of the road. Lonely nights as the abandoned girl searched for him. And after she found him and forgave him, worse nights, with deeper pain and loneliness as rekindled hope flickered and faded into the smothering darkness, but stubbornly refused to die.

_And that's my fault, not Pops, but she still forgives me. She still loves me._

That word again. The word that frightened him. Ukyou had stared into his eyes and trusted him to make the right decision. She was even willing to accept death because she was with him. Because she loved him.

The rest of Ranma's dreams were no more pleasant, but something enjoyed them. A dark formless shape drew strength from the boy's fears. The other Mamonos had begun their work in his life, but none could touch his soul like Shinrou. There were layers to his fears, each with their own vibrancy and form, and most flowed into each other in some way. It would take a long time to explore them all.

Shinrou intended to take that time.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

At opposite ends of Nerima two shorthaired girls lay on their beds crying. Both had lost the long hair they were proud of in senseless combat. Both excelled in fighting multiple opponents and used mallets in combat. Both were skilled athletes. Both possessed fierce tempers and were capable of amazing strength when angry.

Both were well off materially, but not emotionally. Both lost a stable ordered environment as small children, when their mother died. Both lost their father at the same time, one to death and the other to an empty withdrawal from life, and both missed their father more desperately than they would ever admit.

But Akane could turn to Kasumi and Ryouga or her friends Yuka and Sayuri, who would always listen, even when they didn't understand. Ranma, Kuno, her father, and even Ukyou would at least care if she was hurting. All Azusa had were inanimate objects. They never contradicted her, but they couldn't give her the emotional support she craved.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

A duck plunged from the sky and thumped against the roof, cracking tiles. After circling for hours, Mousse had reached the point of exhaustion. Below him he heard a window open and knew someone was looking up in confusion, trying to understand what was happening.

He didn't care if they decided Peking duck would make for an interesting dinner. He didn't care if he slipped off the roof and became a tasty snack for the next alley cat. He knew he was too late to save Shampoo, so his life wasn't important anymore.

He wasn't even skilled enough to avenge her death. He was completely useless. He didn't have a plan anymore. He didn't have a life anymore. He'd failed the girl he loved when she needed him most, and he couldn't forgive himself for that.

Mousse lay there in self-pity until his breath returned. He couldn't stay on the roof forever, so a bespectacled duck flapped wearily back toward the Neko Hanten.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Ukyou woke to an unfamiliar ceiling, lying on an unfamiliar futon, covered by unfamiliar blankets. As her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she rolled her head to the left and saw Ranma scrunched against the wall. That position couldn't be comfortable, but a decade of being on the road trained you to sleep regardless of where you might be.

She was still tired, but she'd slept enough that another desire had become stronger. She needed a bath. A nice, hot, relaxing bath to soak away the aches in her muscles and the weariness in her soul.

She moved softly, so as to not wake her fiancé. The bath at Dr. Tofu's house was large, even luxurious compared to anything she was used to. She grabbed the collar of the borrowed shirt with both hands. It was torn and covered with blood, but she hesitated before pulling it off as the events of the day replayed in her mind. She'd come so very close to losing her fiancé and that scared her. It scared her quite a bit.

Once, only once, had she seen someone act as despairingly as Ranma. She had.

Ukyou's eyes grew moist as she recalled the secret sauce disaster. Neither she nor Ranma nor Akane were at their best, but the other two were manipulated by Nabiki. It was the lowest ebb her spirit had ever reached as her confidence evaporated. She'd built her life around two things, Ranma and her cooking abilities. When she thought she'd lost both, her life began to unravel.

She'd tried to kill herself then, but not the way most people did. She hadn't tried to destroy her body, but her spirit. She'd tried to be that perfect housewife, a woman with no will of her own, a lifeless extension of her husband who lived only to serve his whims, an empty person with an empty smile who would endure anything to maintain her dream of a perfect home.

The attempt was doomed. Both she and Ranma knew that illusion wasn't her. She'd been strong enough to make it past that, if only barely. Ranma's blundering attempts to snap her out of it, kindness that was sometimes cruel, were the thread that she clung to and pulled her way back. But now she knew her fiancé could reach his own quiet point of despair.

"Don't worry, Ranchan. I...I'll help you find your way back. I don't know how yet, but I will." Her whisper echoed faintly off the tiled wall. She exhaled slowly in a sigh that was almost a moan.

She tugged at the shirt he had loaned her. Dried blood made it cling to her Mamono Hunter dress, which tore further as she peeled the shirt off. The remnants of the ruined dress pulled loose in strips. She was surprised the cloth wasn't more durable. Ukyou shrugged, too tired to really care and began rinsing herself off. Soon, she was ready to climb into the tub.

It felt better than she expected and she needed it more than she'd realized.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Even if he couldn't always find the words he wanted, at least as a human Ryouga had some prayer of communicating his thoughts and feelings. He placed his face in his hands and repeated his words in an insistent whisper

"Akane, I have to go back to Ryugenzawa. I have..."

"No."

"I have to find him. I have to see if he's still alive."

"No, don't leave me, Ryouga. Don't leave me behind. Everyone leaves me behind." Her voice faded away.

"Akane, you're still catching up on the school lessons you missed while..." the boy blushed and stared at the floor.

She blushed, too. "The school will be closed for a few days anyway while they repair it. How do you think you'll ever find the place?"

The boy paused. He hadn't thought of that. "I...I..." Light dawned. "I can ask Ranma. He's been there. He can show me."

"Are you kidding? With his grades he needs to stay in school a lot more than I do. Besides, Miss Hinako always said I was her best student."

The boy sighed. Her words made sense, but he wanted, needed to be alone for a few days. If it weren't for what they'd done back at Ryugenzawa, he'd have taken off already. He loved the girl and he wanted her to have the best man for her. That certainly wasn't Ranma, not after the way he treated her, but the Lost Boy was pretty sure he wasn't the best choice, either.

_I'm doubly cursed and I haven't attended school in such a long time. All I know is martial arts. What kind of a future would that provide? Akane deserves someone who can be there for her every time she needs him. Someone with real skills who can get a real job and take care of her the way she deserves._

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Ranma stretched. His muscles protested loudly, reminding him that the position he'd slept in was far from comfortable. He closed his eyes and began a series of exercises, working away the stiffness. Even then he felt something, a darkness in the back of his mind, but he dismissed it as the result of physical and mental weariness.

Eventually the boy finished his warmup and opened his eyes. The futon was empty.

_Ucchan left already?_

He glanced at the clock on the wall, finding the explanation there. It was time to open her restaurant for the evening. Ranma smiled, glad she felt well enough to do that.

_If I hurry, I can wash up, change, and help her finish the end of the rush. It's about time I started helping her._

He rushed into the bathroom, tossing his clothing in the hamper. That was the good thing about living at Tofu's. Unlike the Tendo residence, he didn't need to worry about walking in on one of the girls while they were in the bath or one of them walking in on him.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Akane had left without asking about dinner, but Genma would devour any leftovers. Kasumi was glad he enjoyed her cooking, but she wished he appreciated the effort that went into preparing it. She wished somebody did.

"Besides you, mother," she whispered.

Her father and his friend dug into their dinner and she watched them quietly.

_It's good that Mr. Saotome is with Daddy at this time, his calm nature helps counterbalance Daddy's emotional outbursts._

Kasumi thought for a moment.

_No, it **was** good for Father, but now it would probably be best for both of them if Mr. Saotome returned to his wife's house. He seems in no hurry to do that. If I didn't know better, I'd think he was afraid of his wife. But that's silly, why would he be afraid of her? They already resolved the problem of Ranma's curse and the stupid promise. It doesn't make any sense._

She had something else to wonder about. When Akane left, someone had gone with her. _I wonder when Ryouga got here, I never heard him knock at the door._ Her sister had been holding the boy's hand; and it felt like that was more than just an attempt to ensure the boy didn't get lost.

_Father would be upset, but he's always upset about something. Akane deserves to be happy and I don't think Ranma knows how to make her happy. I don't think I do, either. I'm not sure I even know how to make myself happy anymore._

She shied away from that last thought, unwilling to admit how often her smile was a well-intentioned lie.

_Ryouga might be a good choice for her. He's so shy around girls, but she can get him to open up and he's so patient with her. Though I'm not sure she has the patience to deal with his curse. The poor boy gets lost so easily._

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Don't touch me!"

Hinako slumped against the wall and swung her arm wide, warding away the nurses.

"I need to talk to Dr. Tofu. He's the only one who might understand."

They approached anyway, looks of concern on their faces.

"I said stay away! Don't touch me. It's not safe." The tone was enough to convince them to retreat.

"Hurry, please, hurry," the teacher whispered urgently.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Ranchan, please wake up. Ranchan, I'm sorry."

His eyes blinked open. He felt the damp floor of the bath against his back and was grateful it was still warm. Ukyou was on her hands and knees above him, concern visible in her eyes.

"I'm sorry. I didn't even see who walked in on me. I didn't mean to hurt you."

He felt a warmth cover his face and spread down his torso. He'd intended to climb into the bath while his fiancée had obviously just climbed out. Water drops struck the side of his chest and face and for a moment he thought they were her tears. He put a hand to his chest and touched the moisture before he realized it was bathwater dripping off the girl.

_Kami-sama, please,_ Ranma prayed silently but fervently, _Please don't let me react. Please don't let Ucchan **see** me react to her._

He focused on her face, but it was a struggle.

_I call her my cute fiancée. She is the best looking of the bunch, but I ain't gonna let my body choose who I end up with. If I was that kinda guy, me and Shampoo woulda done something that time she jumped in the tub with me._

"Umm," Ranma said intelligently and redoubled his prayers that his fiancée wouldn't notice his body reacting to hers. His thumb unconsciously retraced a faint scar line on his chest; the farewell gift Kuno had given him that afternoon.

_You've seen it all before,_ he thought, _You don't need to look. You know what a girl looks like. You've seen it all, thanks to that stupid curse._

But he hadn't seen Ukyou this way before and he realized he did want to see what **she** looked like. He tried to keep his eyes focused on her face. His gaze flickered to the wet hair framing her face and he felt the damp ends of it brush his cheek. His eyes flickered back and he noticed her lips, full and red, and slightly parted.

"Umm," Ranma repeated. His gaze tracked across his fiancée's face again and locked on her eyes.

"Uhh," Ukyou replied. Her heart hammered in her chest and her mouth felt dry, so very dry. Her cheeks were on fire and she hesitated to lick her parched lips. She realized what the situation must look like and she focused her eyes on her fiancé's.

_He...He's..._

He was looking straight into her eyes. Her heart skipped a beat and she felt even warmer. She gave a nervous chuckle. She didn't know what to do next. The situation reminded her of the time he'd fallen while they were skating. They were in almost the same position then and she'd leaned forward and impulsively kissed him. She longed to kiss him again, but the last time they were fully clothed. He wouldn't expect this kiss either, which made it extremely tempting, but in their current state of undress, she wasn't sure it would stop at just a kiss. She wasn't sure she wanted it to stop there, yet she hesitated.

The silence dragged on. People had walked in on Ranma in the bath before. No one had ever done that to her. But both had the foreboding that someone would walk in on them now and assume the worst.

_So who's it going to be this time, Akane or my Mom? At least Mom would probably think I was being manly._ For a moment he saw or maybe imagined a mischievous smile shape Ukyou's mouth, but it was gone, if it ever existed.

No one came through the bathroom door, in spite of both of their expectations. Instead, a six-foot section of wall detonated inward. Ranma pulled Ukyou down and rolled towards the far corner of the room, using his body to shield her from flying debris. For a few moments, shattered bits of the wall clattered against the tile floor, then there was silence.

_It can't be Shampoo, not anymore. Ryouga would already be bellowing some sort of threat or challenge._

He didn't know who the attacker was this time and he didn't really care. Ukyou was in his arms and she was warm, warmer than he expected. He felt her heart hammering, or was it his, and it surprised him how difficult it was to release her and rise to his feet in a combat stance, but he remembered the silent vow he'd made.

_I ain't gonna let anyone hurt Ucchan._

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

People correctly accused Ranma of having trouble making decisions. Akane was nearly as bad, but she'd made one this time. She looked down at her hand, which was interlaced with Ryouga's, and blushed.

_I'm glad he's here. I don't ever want to let him go._

She knew Dr. Tofu's was nearby, but it was hard to recognize landmarks in the darkness. Clouds obscured the stars and the thin sliver of moon and even those clouds seemed to have a strange darkness about them. The girl shivered, and not just from cold. There was something strange and frightening about this night and she clutched the boy's hand even tighter.

She looked up at him. By the feeble glow of the streetlights, she saw him smiling at her, but she also saw nervousness in his eyes. They'd been stupid back at Ryugenzawa and they'd wasted too much time worrying. Worrying wouldn't solve anything. She needed to know if they were going to become parents and Dr. Tofu was the one person she trusted to answer the question.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Few Martial artists regularly fought as pairs. Mikado and Azusa. Natsume and Kurumi. Lin-Lin and Ran-Ran. This wasn't about dojos or ice skating.

The shattered hole in the bathroom framed a pair of Amazons. They'd grown a little taller, and better filled their new outfits of high collared pale blue tunics over deep blue pants. Crimson sashes provided contrast and matched the color of the intricately embroidered dragons spiraling up the left arms and right legs of their clothing. Behind them lay the darkness of the night.

Neither Ranma nor Ukyou paid attention to the new costumes or the cold air seeping into the room. The Chinese girls' faces showed grim determination and their posture confirmed they were prepared for combat.

"There you is, Ranma." Lin-Lin pointed her staff at him.

"What you doing with Spatula Girl?" Her sister gestured with her tiger fork, then blushed.

Ranma felt the reply die in his throat. The truth would sound like a lie, explanations like self-serving excuses. He sighed in anger and frustration, eyeing the Chinese girls warily. For a moment no one spoke or moved, then Ukyou begin chanting rapidly, ending with "Blade of my soul appear." Reddish light glowed behind Ranma and the Chinese girls shielded their eyes. Ukyou now gripped the magical replica of her battle spatula. She'd expected her Mamono Hunter dress to spiral out of nowhere and form around her. It didn't. She guessed it was too damaged to summon anymore, but that wasn't the problem. She'd already summoned it earlier and placed it in the clothes hamper. It still lay there, now magically cleaned and mended. Not that any of this helped her at the moment.

Ignoring that disappointment, Ukyou stepped past her fiancé, battle spatula held in a ready position. "Just leave Ranchan alone! Can't you see what he's been through? I don't care what this is about, just leave him alone!"

The Amazons looked at each other then at the taller girl. Anger burned in her eyes and she didn't flinch under their gaze.

"I. Said. Get. Out." The words were clipped, hard.

"Out of way, Spatula Girl," Ran-Ran replied. "This no be your fight."

Ukyou uttered a short and not very friendly laugh. "Duty. Friendship. Love. If you understand any of that, you'd understand why." She spun her battle spatula to the left, blocking Lin-Lin from lunging past her towards Ranma. "So what is it this time? Why can't you people ever leave him alone?"

Ranma tried to focus his eyes at the level of Ukyou's shoulder blades or higher. He saw tension in the muscles of her upper back, shoulders, and arms. With his chi sensitivity, he felt her battle aura. The Chinese girls were farther away but he sensed their anger, too.

"Is Ranma's fault big sister Shampoo die," Lin-Lin spat.

Ukyou hesitated and Ranma felt the wall he built against the darkness in his spirit crumbling. "No," escaped from two mouths at the same time, his a sorrowed whisper, hers was bolder and full of anger.

"Sister Lin-Lin no be lying, Spatula girl. Ranma was Shampoo's Airen. Airen supposed to protect Big Sister Shampoo."

"Ran-Ran be right. Big Sister Shampoo get crippled. Amazon what is crippled must die. So is Ranma's fault Shampoo die. Is right Ranma die with his Airen. Is Ranma's fault."

The boy stared bleakly at the floor as another weight was added to his soul. He could summon a Perfect Shishi Hokoudan again; the last Mamono had taught him how. He felt the energy calling seductively, promising the simple solution to everything, but he resisted the urge.

_I still owe Ucchan for last time._

His thoughts were pulled back to reality by a scream of rage.

"You dare...you dare accuse him of that. I've heard how he faced his greatest fear to save her from the Ghost Cat and he did it more than once. He tries to help everybody everytime they need it even if they're his enemy. Even if they're ungrateful and treat him like dirt. Now...now he's failed once, only once and because he failed you want to..." Ukyou paused for breath. "No," she growled, "**I **won't let you. I won't let you hurt him. I won't let **anyone** hurt Ranchan."

"Ucch..." he began, but it was too late. She surged forward; spinning her two-handed battle spatula like it was a plastic toy, instead of a heavy metal implement.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Ryouga, did you hear that?"

"Huh?" He was too busy enjoying holding hands with Akane to hear anything.

"I'm sure I heard something." She concentrated for a moment. "It sounds like fighting and it sounds like it's coming from Dr. Tofu's." There was an edge in Akane's voice. It wasn't fear for herself, it was fear for Tofu, the man she'd loved and still cared about.

Ryouga needed no urging, he broke into a run and the youngest Tendo struggled to keep up with him. There was something in the shadows and she didn't want to lose hold of him and be left behind.

That something sensed her fear and savored it.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Waiting was the hardest part.

_Just like when I was a child._

Hinako focused on her breathing, tried to will her pulse to slow. She'd spent months in the hospital as a child. A frightened, confused child barely old enough to realize nobody expected her to ever leave alive. She was so weak and sick then, and only thanks to Happosai's training had she ever left the place.

_Now something's wrong again, but this time I can make them tell me what it is._

But the truth could be just as unpleasant as empty words and vague reassurances and age didn't make the unwanted uncertainties of waiting any more bearable.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Ukyou fought her best fight when she first arrived in Nerima. So did Lin-Lin and Ran-Ran. All three fought better when they were angry and all three were very, very angry. The Japanese girl spun her battle spatula so rapidly it appeared to blur and Ranma swore he could hear it humming. Her weapon clashed repeatedly against those of both Amazons, the noise ringing off the bathroom walls.

The room was too small for all four martial artists to maneuver properly. The Amazons soon resorted to thrusting with their weapons, extending their reach. Between that and Ukyou's spinning weapon, Ranma couldn't get close enough to touch either opponent. There wasn't much room to fire off a chi blast either without risking trashing the place further or worse still, hitting his fiancée.

He had another problem.

"Let me past, Ucchan."

"Ranchan, you dummy! They're trying to kill you!" And she shifted into his way again.

"No." His voice was barely audible. "I'm not weak. I'm not gonna be weak again." Memories returned, memories of the time Happosai stole his strength by cauterizing a pressure point. "I'm not helpless." The whisper sounded like the voice of a little child. "Nothing can hurt me," he lied.

In a surprising flash of clarity, he realized this was how Akane must feel. Every time he tried to protect her, he denied her abilities. By his actions, he proclaimed her weak, helpless, and useless. No wonder she was so angry.

He was angry, too, but Ukyou didn't know that by helping him she was hurting him. She would never try to do that and that knowledge gave him strength. But something dark wanted him to feel powerless, wanted him to experience the threads of pain woven through his life. The boy almost tore free, but that something continued wrapping him in the web of his fears.

He was helpless against the commandments of the Amazon law. Lin-Lin and Ran-Ran would kill him if they managed to win. If they lost, they'd vow to kill Ukyou, too. The only escape from their stupid laws seemed to be killing them and he didn't want to go that far.

Memories returned of a small boy wrapped in fish sausages and hurled repeatedly into a pit full of starving cats. He winced as he relived his flesh being lacerated by their claws and teeth. He tried to block out the way his screams had mingled with the howls of the cats until they merged into the same sound. But blood and tears and pleading hadn't stopped his pain. Unconsciousness only muted it for a while. He **had** been weak and helpless and as the darkness sought to enfold him, he felt that way again.

Shinrou reveled in the ecstasy of the boy's pain. As fear eroded the boy's will, it became easier to slow his reactions, and making him feel more useless and helplessness only fed his fears. The Mamono could sense Ranma's emotions, but not the experiences which created them. During the Cat Fist training and Genma's blundering attempts at a cure, the boy had been helpless against his fear, and when that fear reached the point he could no longer bear it, he still found a way to escape, by becoming what he feared.

The Mamono had tugged a little too hard on those memories. The boy dropped to all fours and began meowing. A pale blur brushed past Ukyou, knocking the girl from her feet, and leapt in snarling fury at Lin-Lin and Ran-Ran. She'd heard what happened when Ranma was exposed to cats, but hearing was nothing like seeing the boy she loved become a feral beast. Almost as disturbing, she couldn't see any cats that might have set him off. She didn't know the creatures were always there, buried in his memories, until someone or something dug them back up.

"Ranchan?" she whispered as she sat up.

He was a bundle of clawing, snarling fury. Even Cologne had backed down when the boy was in the Cat Fist state, so the younger Amazons fell back towards the hole in the wall. By the time they reached it, slashes had appeared in their clothing, mainly their sleeves and trouser legs. Thin red lines of blood marked that not only cloth was damaged. Still the girls fought defiantly, retreating grudgingly.

But even the fiercest battle has a lull. When it came, Ran-Ran threw an egg shaped object that burst in a cloud of smoke. As they disappeared into the night her sister called. "We be back, Ranma." It was both threat and promise.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"I've changed a bit, haven't I, Doctor."

Tofu smiled back. In Hinako's case that was literally true. Both of her extended stays in the hospital had resulted in noticeable physiological changes. Tofu observed the woman, noticing her slightly widened eyes, rapid breathing, and tense posture. He knew her medical history. If anyone had a reason to fear hospitals, she did.

"And you're worried about this change, aren't you, Miss Ninomiya."

"Please, call me Hinako," the woman blushed. "Even my students aren't that formal."

His words were kind, and reassuring, even hopeful, but they lacked the false promises of overconfidence.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"What are you burning, master Kuno?"

"That is none of your concern, Sasuke. Your job is to serve, not to question orders."

"Yes, master Kuno."

Master and servant stared at the bonfire Tatewaki had made of his albums of the pig-tailed girl. It made a pleasant contrast to the dark, overcast night. For a time the only noise was the crackling of the fire, but the moment of peace was soon interrupted as Kuno began declaiming.

"Ah, the sorrows that dog my life. The grief of finding my fondest desires crushed and destroyed by that foul and treacherous sorcerer, Ranma Saotome. Truly, again I have suffered the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, yet still mine enemy tasks me and my dreams have become but ashes."

Kuno gestured dramatically at the fading fire with a katana. Not a wooden bokken, an actual sword. The pause was broken by the boy noisily clearing his throat. A startled Sasuke nearly jumped and pretended he was paying attention.

"Yes, brave Sasuke. Much have I suffered because of that foul sorcerer and the vile magics he uses to ensnare people's hearts. And now, he has stooped to using these minions of his, these foul and pestilent beings known as Mamonos, since he no longer dares to fight me face to face. Yet in my time of greatest loss, I have in truth gained two things. The treachery of his lying illusion has at last been torn away revealing unto me the true face and the natural form of this misbegotten fiend."

The little ninja tried not to yawn.

"A second truth has also been exposed to my adoring gaze. I have discovered a truer, deeper passion. One who is most bold, so in truth I must woo my love most boldly as well. Yes, I must see to this, for the ides of love will not bid me wait upon the execution of my actions."

Sasuke blinked twice. The boy was making less and less sense as time passed.

"So who is it, Master Kuno?"

"Tis the beauteous flower, this one who has come to me from the ancient and mysterious lands that surround Kyoto, the capital of our fair land in the age of our revered ancestors of yore. Tis fitting that one whose beauty is as legendary as my martial prowess should hail from a place steeped in such mystery and tradition. A place that calls to us with echoes of the glorious past we have abandoned, to our eternal shame."

The only call Sasuke felt was his stomach protesting that he hadn't eaten dinner yet. The fire was nearly gone, barely illuminating Kuno's face, and the ninja felt the night seeping into his bones.

"So what is this person's name, Master Kuno?"

"The fairest of the fair 'tis known as Ukyou Kuonji, thou witless cretin."

"I see." Sasuke didn't realize he had forgotten to add the words 'Master Kuno.' Tatewaki was too enraptured with ranting about the beauties of his new love to notice the ninja wasn't hanging on his every word.

Sasuke was thinking. Ukyou was a boy's name. If his memories of possession by the last Mamono weren't so hazy, Sasuke might have realized Ukyou was the Mamono Hunter he'd been sent to spy on at the school. Instead, he remembered someone dressed in a boy's school uniform, but with some noticeably feminine mannerisms. The ninja jumped to a logical and thoroughly incorrect decision.

It explained may things. Kuno's unending pursuit of Akane Tendo, a girl who clearly had no desire for him. It was obviously just a mask to cover Tatewaki's true tastes when it came to romance. Sasuke thought of the times he heard of his master embracing Ranma or proclaiming his love for the boy. Of course, as soon as he realized someone had seen or heard him, Kuno pretended he had mistaken the other boy for the pig-tailed girl and attacked.

It explained Kuno's rants against the sorceries of Ranma as well. His fragile ego must have used it as a shield against the fact he'd fallen in love with another boy. But now Tatewaki had taken the next step in proclaiming his love for the Kuonji boy.

The ninja's train of thought derailed as he realized Tatewaki had fallen silent and was staring at him.

"What is thy bidding, O my master," Sasuke asked.

"I require the purchase of these items this very night."

Sasuke's stomach grumbled as it realized dinner was still a long ways off. The ninja took the list and turned it so the final embers illuminated it. An incredible number of flowers topped it.

"Excellent, master Kuno. Obviously these are for your father and sister."

"Dolt! Brainless oaf! These are for mine own true love Ukyou Kuonji and none else. I care little for that twisted sister of mine and not one wit for the one who calls himself my father. His crimes, his cruelties, his indignations against me are as numberless as the stars in the sky or the sands of the sea and were it not for the fact it would require me deny my heritage as samurai, I would wish myself to have been adopted."

"It wasn't always so, master Kuno."

"No, Sasuke, it was not." There was sadness in the boy's voice, but it was still tinged with anger. "But when father became the creature he is now, you did nothing to halt him, you did nothing to protect my sister or myself."

"Didn't you tell me earlier that my job is to serve, not to question orders." There was an edge in Sasuke's voice that he hadn't expressed before.

"I did." The reply was unusually quiet and brief. Tatewaki took the list and added some more flowers to it. "These shall be for my sister, not for the one who calls himself my father. Duty requires me tell her unpleasant truths about both Ranma Saotome and the pigtailed girl. Perhaps they will help her better bear those bitter truths."

Kuno motioned for the ninja to leave. It would not do for a samurai to be seen crying, particularly in front of the servants.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

She felt warm, almost feverish.

Doctor Tofu was a rather handsome man, though he didn't seem to realize it, and suddenly Hinako was aware how flimsy the hospital robe she wore was. Tofu's behavior had been completely professional and somehow that was vaguely disappointing as Hinako's subconscious clamored that she was a woman, not a child.

The teacher shook her head.

_Were those my feelings?_

She'd already observed a pair of nurses blushing and giggling as they passed by. Tofu worked out of his own clinic, but lately a lot of his patients had required hospitalization. The nurses blushed even worse when they realized Hinako noticed them checking out the visiting doctor. They were wasting their time; a man as handsome as Doctor Tofu was almost certainly already long married.

He was also a kind man, and that counted more. Hinako's strange transformations reinforced her belief that behavior was more important than appearance. Soun Tendo had been so very kind to her, when he thought she was a child, but he couldn't seem to see she was a woman or get over the wife he lost over a decade before. This doctor was a nice man and she could easily see herself falling for him if he wasn't a doctor, if she wasn't in love with someone else.

_If I can be sure of my own feelings anymore._

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

The smoke cleared, but she was afraid to move.

"Ra...Ranchan?"

"Mrew?" and he padded closer.

"Are...are you alright, Ranchan?"

"Mrow."

"I...I'm sorry, I wish I could understand you. Please come back. Please, I need you."

Before she knew it the boy who thought he was a cat sprang into her lap and started purring. She laughed nervously as he snuggled against her.

"Umm, good Ranchan. Good, um, kitty, Ranchan. You're a good boy, you scared away those nasty girls." She resisted an urge to scratch him behind the ears.

"Mrow," he replied proudly and continued purring.

"Um, Ranchan, could you please come back." Her eyes grew large as he licked her face. "Umm, ahh, how do I bring you back?"

He tilted his head to one side and stared into her eyes as if sensing her sorrow. "Mrew?" he uttered softly and licked her face again.

"Tha...thanks, Ranchan, but how do I bring you back?" She paused and stared into the eyes of her fiancé. He began purring again. "I...I think I understand. Something that only people do, that cats can't." She leaned forward and gently kissed him. At first, he didn't return her kiss, then she felt him pressing forward, wanting, needing to be drawn back to the world of humanity. She wrapped her arms around the boy and after a hesitant moment felt his encircle her. She wanted the moment to last forever, but eventually she needed to breathe.

He spoke first. "Tha...thanks, Ucchan. That's a lot quicker than taking a nap and waking up me again and a lot more fun than getting dunked or Akane hammering me outta that...the cat...you know, that cat thing that happens to me."

"Sure thing, Ranchan. Um, anytime. It was nice." She was sure she sounded like a complete idiot.

"It was? I...I'm glad, Ucchan." He wished he could think of something clever to say.

"Well, um, it was better when you were...were you again. Um, could we do...do it again, I mean, if you'd like to, Ranchan."

He didn't know what to say, but he knew what felt right. He paused only a moment before leaning forward and kissing the girl. He always was better at acting than thinking or talking.


	9. Shinrou Part 2

Mamono Hunter Ukyou

Shinrou: Shadow of Fear

Part 2

By Edward A. Simons

Based on characters and situations created by Takahashi Rumiko. Ranma 1/2 and characters copyright Shogakukan, Kitty Animation Circle, and Takahashi Rumiko. Devil Hunter Yohko and characters copyright NCS, Toho Company, LTD., and Mad House. This story revised 2005 by Edward Simons.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

In the silence of the night

How we shiver with affright

At the melancholy menace of their tone!

For every sound that floats

From the rust within their throats,

Is a groan:

Edgar Allen Poe, "The Bells"

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

In August of 1883, the Pacific island of Krakatoa was shattered by a volcanic eruption that hurled eleven cubic miles of rock and ash into the air. The blast was heard three thousand miles away. A tsunami with waves cresting at fifty feet in height killed over thirty-six thousand people and its final remnants reached coastlines eight thousand miles away. Two thirds of the island disappeared and global weather patterns were disrupted for years.

Compared to this, Akane's explosion was insignificant. Ranma was too wrapped up in kissing Ukyou to dodge the hammer aimed at the side of his head, not that he was **ever** good at that. He was already unconscious when his head shattered the side of the tub. The water crested at a few inches in height as it sloshed along the floor of the bath. This time it was cool enough to change Ranma to female form.

Akane had been worried when she approached the broken wall of Dr. Tofu's house. Then she heard Ukyou speak.

"Sure thing, Ranchan. Um, anytime. It was nice."

"It was? I...I'm glad, Ucchan."

"Well, um, it was better when you were...were you again. Um, could we do...do it again, I mean, if you'd like to, Ranchan."

A red haze clouded Akane's vision, but hid little of the view through the ruined wall. Ranma and Ukyou were kissing enthusiastically and they weren't wearing a thing. The Tendo girl didn't remember what happened next, but when her vision cleared, Ranma lay limp and unconscious. Blood seeped from her mouth and nose and more matted her hair. A tall brunette clung sobbing to the short redhead.

Nightmare had become reality. After she'd nearly killed P-chan in the forest of Ryugenzawa, Akane had become afraid of herself, of the anger roiling inside, of the damage it could do. She needed Ryouga to hold her, to tell her everything would be alright, but he lay unconscious.

The Lost Boy hadn't seen Ranma and Ukyou, but hearing them was enough for the boy to leap to the same conclusions as Akane. His actions were completely different as he fainted in embarrassment. Ryouga was unaffected by the flowing water that changed Ranma, since he still lay on the sidewalk outside. For a moment, the only sounds were the whisper of the wind outside and Ukyou's soft sobbing.

A greenish pulse of light drew Akane's attention to the odd piece of jewelry on Ukyou's left hand. Almost of its own will, the arm began the mystic gestures that had become reflex. Scarlet and emerald gemstones left glowing tracks of power through the air as Ukyou gestured a healing spell over Ranma's unconscious body.

Ukyou paused for breath, then called "Blade of my soul appear." The battle spatula leapt from the floor to her waiting hands. Hatred flared in Ukyou's red-rimmed eyes and an icy chill ran down Akane's spine. None of the male martial artists attacked her directly. Most of the female ones didn't bother with her. Most of the rest held back out of pity or contempt for her skills. Ukyou had held back because of friendship, but obviously nothing would restrain her now. Akane wanted to scream, but her mouth seemed paralyzed.

Shinrou was pleased. If the Mamono Hunter used her powers to kill a human who wasn't possessed, she would lose her magic forever, becoming easy prey. Even if she didn't, the fear emanating from Akane would probably grant Shinrou enough strength to dispose of her and the helpless Ryouga and Ranma. Ukyou's magic partially shielded her from the Mamono's probing, but it sensed enough to suspect the loss of Ranma would destroy the girl anyway.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"There's another reason I came to this hospital, Doctor. How are my students?"

"Remarkably well, considering the circumstances. Most have been treated and released."

Tofu summarized quickly for Hinako, who jotted the information in a notebook.

"What about those who aren't students?" she asked.

"The other teachers stayed well out of it, so they weren't injured. Principal Kuno, on the other hand, remains in serious condition and hasn't regained consciousness. Frankly, I'm surprised he's still with us and I wouldn't expect him back at school for quite some time. His daughter Kodachi is sleeping, but she's under observation. You're certain she tried to kill herself?"

Hinako nodded. "Ranma and Ukyou can confirm it. Speaking of which, I don't recall you mentioning either of them." She scanned back through her notes. "I saw a fair amount of blood on both of their clothing."

"Perhaps they were sent to another hospital." Tofu frowned as he reached for the phone. "This reminds me too much of the last time they disappeared.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Shampoo hated the telephone. She'd called Furinkan High several times, getting no response. That worried her so she tried Dr. Tofu's with no more success, giving up in frustration just before Ranma and Ukyou returned there. She couldn't call the Neko Hanten and she didn't want to call the Tendo dojo. That left her waiting alone in the empty restaurant.

By the time the phone finally rang, Shampoo nearly jumped out of her wheelchair. When she recognized the voice as Dr. Tofu, she switched to Mandarin. She was more comfortable with her native language and she knew the Doctor could understood her.

"Hello, Doctor."

"Shampoo, what are you doing at Ukyou's restaurant? Ever since you ran away from the hospital, I've been worried. What happened to you?"

"I don't have time to explain. Have you seen Ranma or Ukyou?"

"I was about to ask you that myself, Shampoo."

"What's wrong?"

"There was a big fight at Furinkan High today. No one seems to have seen them since then and their teacher says they were both injured."

"Have you seen Konatsu? He was carrying me that night." She didn't have to say which night that was. "Konatsu went to Furinkan High today, too."

"No, I haven't seen him. There is an unidentified female patient, though."

"Aiyah, that must be him. Is he alright?"

"He's still unconscious and it's really too soon to answer that."

The Chinese girl gave a short gasp. There was silence for a moment and then a whispered. "I'll be right there."

"Wait, Shampoo, if you get splashed..."

But she'd already hung up the phone.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Two other people were also speaking Mandarin, but this time both were Amazons. Lin-Lin and Ran-Ran had retreated a short distance to bandage their injuries. Now they watched the clinic where their quarry was hiding from a roof across the street.

"Can you hear anything, Lin-Lin?"

"Nothing. Let's move closer. We may still have a chance to kill Ranma and if the girl interferes again, we will have to kill her." Lin-Lin's face showed regret at that. She respected martial prowess and Ukyou was skilled at her art.

"Sister, I'm tired of this," Ran-Ran replied. "If we really want to fulfill our laws we have to marry him, too, since he's defeated us before. And he's not the only one who did it. This girl Ukyou defeated us in combat the second time we were here. So did the gymnast. Akane helped Ranma beat us. Big Sister Shampoo even gave us the Kiss of Death when she defended Ranma. If we start killing, when will it end?"

"This isn't about our laws," Lin-Lin replied. "This is about vengeance for Big Sister Shampoo."

"Vengeance won't bring back the dead."

Her sister's only response was a blank stare. Lin-Lin's face appeared expressionless, except for the eyes, and what she saw there disturbed Ran-Ran. Something was very, very wrong and she didn't know how to help her sister.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"You're awake." The statement wasn't clever or original, but it was accurate and heartfelt.

The girl nodded, and smiled faintly. She'd been healed by Ukyou's magic, but she was still sore from the injuries inflicted and being possessed by the Mamono.

"How...how long have I been out?"

"I didn't really look at the time. Several hours, I guess. Maybe around dinner time." He paused for a moment. "It seemed like a lot longer than that."

"Hey, I'm not that fragile." She blushed and stared at her hands. "Um. Sorry, that didn't come out the way I wanted it to. Thanks for staying with me till I woke up again."

"It seemed like the right thing to do, Yuka." Daisuke gazed down at the girl in the hospital bed. He'd been taking his girlfriend for granted. He assumed she'd always be there. He hadn't imagined what life might be like without her, and he didn't want to find out. The brawl at the school earlier was different than previous battles. It was as if some dark spirit had taken control of the students. Daisuke wasn't sure what to do. He knew he wasn't strong enough to protect Yuka, to protect the girl he cared...no, the girl he loved. And his weakness frightened him.

Things had changed. Most of the problems that had come to Furinkan High were mere entertainment; things that affected martial artists, people like Ranma, things that passed the ordinary students by. The few exceptions that affected everyone, like the various idiocies of Principal Kuno, were dealt with by the martial artists as well.

But the comfortable old pattern was gone. Ranma for all his strength and all his desire to aid others hadn't been able to stop people from getting hurt this time. Or worse than hurt. Nabiki had been one of the cleverest people at Furikan High. She thrived on the chaos, even caused it to grow for her profit and amusement.

Now she was gone, and though nobody missed her, her absence showed just how high the stakes had gotten and how little chance the rest of them had.

"Daisuke?" Worry creased his girlfriend's face.

"What? Oh, I'm sorry. Sorry for a lot of things. If only I'd been strong enough to protect you."

"It's not your fault."

He nodded, but her words didn't change the way he felt.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Akane's eyes bulged in their sockets. No one would rescue her this time. Ranma and Ryouga were unconscious. Shinnosuke was gone forever. Tofu, Kasumi, and her father were too far away to hear her scream and she couldn't even manage that. It was hard enough to breathe with the blade of the battle spatula pressing against her throat.

Ukyou's eyes were inches from Akane's and they blazed with unrestrained fury. Akane felt cold, so very cold.

"That's the last time you hurt Ranchan." The Kuonji girl practically spit the words. "It's **never** going to happen again." The Tendo girl tried to form a reply, but Ukyou gave her no chance for it.

"That's alright, I know what you'll say, Akane. You'll go into your poor little me routine and blame the big bad Ranma for all the problems in your life. Guess what? Your life was a mess **before** he ever showed up. I heard about the way Kuno and the other boys fought you to try to get a date. I've even heard how you lost out on Dr. Tofu to your own sister."

"H...how?"

"Sometimes he talks to me and sometimes I'm even smart enough to listen. He cares about you, though Kami-sama knows why, especially after the way you treat him. I know you. I know you'll say he deserves it and I'm sick of hearing that. Kami knows, he doesn't deserve being treated that way."

The pressure of the blade touching Akane's neck eased fractionally. "B...but...you don't understand. No one understands..."

"Akane, I don't think even you could be dumb enough to believe that no one can understand your problems. Yes, you have Kuno after you and I understand why you hit him. He's too dim to take no for an answer. Guess what, he's after Ranchan's cursed form, too, and you'd realize how much Ranchan hates that if you bothered to listen to him. I've got that jerk Tsubasa after me. Shampoo's got Mousse and that creepy Ghost Cat after her."

"Yes, you were stuck into an arranged marriage. Sure, you resent that. Do you think Ranchan or Shampoo or Kaori or Konatsu don't? I guess I'm the only one whose Dad cared enough to even inform them about this whole engagement business, let alone find out if they wanted it."

Ukyou paused as she realized her father had cared enough to do that. She mouthed a silent apology to the man and lost a little of her focus as her anger ebbed. The girl didn't know Ranma had regained consciousness and heard most of her tirade. He didn't know what to say and for once he was smart enough not to say anything.

The Kuonji girl continued. "Do you think I haven't got hurt because of my engagement, Akane? Do you? When I first showed up, you took my side, just like you take the side of every other stranger that shows up challenging Ranchan. Do you have any hint of the pain I went through when I thought he ran out on me, when I thought I lost him forever?"

Akane understood. She'd imagined Ranma leaving with Ukyou before. The two had gone away, happy in each other's presence while Akane was left behind. The feelings were imagined futures rather than actual events like Ukyou had suffered, but the feelings, the pain were very real to Akane, and she had other losses she carried in her heart.

So many people Akane cared about had left her behind. Dr. Tofu had never noticed the way she felt about him and eventually Akane admitted she'd lost him to her older sister. She'd lost her mother and Nabiki to death. She'd lost her father at the same time her mother died, for while his body still lived, he was only going through the motions of life. She missed him so, but he seemed trapped in an empty routine. Other than the actions needed to keep his body alive, all he seemed interested in were pointless games of shogi. He didn't teach anymore. He didn't learn anymore. He'd largely abandoned his role as parent, leaving the burden to Kasumi.

It was a cold and bitter realization. Her father had fallen into the same trap that destroyed Nabiki and she realized if a Mamono affected him, he could be lost as easily as her sister. Tears meandered down the Tendo girl's cheeks. She was afraid, so very afraid of losing him.

Ukyou didn't see her rival's tears; her eyes were too clouded by her own.

"I understand...now I understand my being disgraced and mocked and abandoned was the fault of that idiot father of his and not Ranchan. He never meant to hurt me. He never meant to hurt anybody, but you still don't trust him and you take it out on Ranchan with that stupid hammer of yours or any other blunt object you can find. No one else treats him that badly."

"What else is there, Akane? What wouldn't I understand?"

"My...my mom...when I lost..." She couldn't find the words to say how she lost her father that day, too.

Ukyou sighed and a hint of sympathy crossed her eyes, though she tried to mask it. She couldn't afford to be kind now. The girl forced an edge back into her voice.

"So you lost your mom. I...I can't even remember what mine looked like. You might ask Shampoo if she can remember hers, or maybe one of the Kunos about their mom. It might not be the same way, but Ryouga's lost both his parents and who knows if he'll ever see them again. Konatsu's folks are dead, too, and his step-family makes Principal Kuno look like a model parent."

Akane shrank from the verbal assault, but the other girl wasn't finished. Neither noticed Ranma listening intently. He understood what Ukyou was saying. He'd lost his mother for over a decade because of his father's lies and cowardice. She was a stranger in so many ways, but at least he could still get to know her. Ukyou, Akane, Shampoo, and even Kodachi would never have that opportunity.

Ranma sat up and stared at the palms of his hands, noticing how much smaller they were in his cursed form. He still hated the way the curse had separated him from his mother. There was a deeper level where it frightened him, too. Cologne and Herb had trapped him this way and only the belief that a cure was possible kept him going those times. He still hadn't told anyone about the nightmares, the dark dreams where even water hot enough to sear away skin and flesh wouldn't change him back. Somehow he felt that if he was a **real** man, this curse would never have happened.

Ranma glanced at Ukyou and shuddered. He wasn't afraid of her and he was sure she wouldn't really hurt Akane. He was afraid because of what didn't happen.

_Ucchan's body isn't as distracting while I'm in girl form. Have I lost a part of what it is to be a guy? And if I did, what might be the next step?_

Ranma wrapped her hands around her knees and put her head down.

_I ain't gonna cry, only girls cry._

Shinrou knew patience would pay off. Ranma had clawed his way into the Cat Fist state to escape the Mamono's control, but the boy had other fears to be exploited. It needed to be cautious, so very cautious now, or the Mamono Hunter would sense it. It was wiser to do what it could now, then wait for an opportunity to finish the job.

Ukyou continued. "Have you ever gone to bed hungry because there wasn't any food, Akane? Have you had to sleep on the ground, with no tent or sleeping bag or even a blanket to keep you warm? Do you know what it's like to carry everything you own on your back? Do you understand that hot showers are a luxury? Do you have any idea what it was like for me or Ranchan or Ryouga growing up on the road?"

"Neither you or I know what it's like to have a Jusenkyou curse, but have you tried to understand Ranchan? Yes, it hurts when he whines about his curse as if being female was something inferior. We know he's got life easier than most of the other curse victims."

Both Ranma and Akane flinched this time. Shinrou sensed their pain and fear and it made a decision. It might be able to control both, but the danger of the Mamono Hunter sensing it was too great if it pushed too hard, if it wrapped it's webs too quickly. The creature needed to decide which one was easier to influence subtly and center its attention on them.

Ukyou remained focused enough she didn't sense the monster. "Ranchan's complaining about becoming a girl attacks the essence of what we are, but have you looked past what he says to what he really means. I went to a boy's middle school, so I know most guys would rather be blind cripples than lose **that** part of their anatomy, just like I know Ranchan is **not** a pervert." Ukyou took a breath and refocused on her main point. "Besides him feeling like any normal guy would about the curse, his own parents made him promise to commit seppuku if he came back as less than a man among men and then he gets cursed to turn into a girl. After that, turning into a panda or a cat or anything would seem preferable."

Ranma hadn't told anyone about the dreams where his disappointed mother required the ultimate penalty of him. One night the blade would be cold as ice as it sank into his stomach, cold as the final look she gave him. The next time it felt like a blazing fire, like the shame and anger he believed his mother must feel for his failure.

Ranma shook his head. He **had** believed his mother would be that harsh, because his father and Mr. Tendo had believed it. That belief lasted until Ranma grew tired of the lies, tired of the way he hurt his mother by hiding from her, tired of nothing ever being resolved. He'd been ready to die if that's what it took to solve things, but Nodoka hadn't blamed him for his curse and had forgiven his lies. That fear was false, and while the echoes of those memories hurt because of how he hurt the mother he was separated from for a decade, he'd made it past that fear.

Ranma pulled away from the darkness and focused on the girls. So did something else.

"What else has the curse done for him, Akane?" Ukyou's voice was quiet, but strong and hard as the blade of the battle spatula she still held at the other girl's throat. "We know the embarrassment when some jerk keeps asking us out and won't rent a clue that we aren't interested. We know the pain and humiliation when that lech Happosai tries to grope us. How do you think Ranchan feels when it happens to him? How manly do you think **that** makes him feel?"

Ranma heard the words she didn't say and realized Ukyou understood that in a way none of the other girls could. Her years disguised as a boy were a dark mirror of his curse. He heard the bitterness and sorrow in her voice and wondered how many girls had tried to flirt with a boy that wasn't a boy.

_Ucchan probably hated that as much as I hate guys hitting on me. And the guys that do hit on her dress like girls._

Ranma shuddered as he realized how that must feel for his fiancée.

_Bet she feels as much like a girl as I do like a guy sometimes. I wonder if her first kiss..._

Ranma shied away from the memory of his first kiss, the kiss stolen by Mikado Sanzenin from his cursed form. His stomach twisted and he felt the bile rising in his throat as his heart began sliding back into the darkness.

No! Ranma grabbed a broken shard of the tub in each fist and clenched down almost hard enough to draw blood, using the pain to refocus.

Ukyou was still speaking. "Akane, I don't claim to know everything about love, but I've figured a few things out. It's about trust. It's about respect. It's about forgiveness. It isn't about pounding Ranchan every time you don't like what he says. I can't make you trust Ranchan or respect him or forgive him. I don't care if you love him. But I'm going to make you stop hitting him every time you lose your temper."

Ukyou stepped back, letting her rival collapse to her knees in the water that coated the floor of the bathroom.

"Akane, if you ever hit Ranchan like that again, I'll do the same to you. I don't want to, but you don't seem to understand anything else."

"N...no."

"Yes, Akane, yes. You have a choice. You always have a choice. Yell all you want. Curse him to his face. Smash the furniture if you have to. But if you ever, ever hit him again..."

Ukyou yeeped as Ranma placed a bathrobe around her shoulders. She hadn't heard him move. She turned and saw the redhead had also donned a robe.

Ranma gave a weary smile. "C'mon Ucchan, let's leave Akane alone for a bit. We all got a bit of darkness inside us. A part of us that we ain't so proud of, that we're afraid of. The Mamono showed me that this afternoon."

Ukyou shivered at the reminder of those events and wrapped her arms around her fiancé. The boy wearing a girl's body led her towards the kitchen, instinctively homing in on the nearest source of hot water.

Akane was left alone with the darkness and her fears.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

At the end of the day, Kasumi enjoyed the peace of the evening. Even when Ranma had lived with them, the late evenings were usually quiet. It was the one time of the day she could relax, something she found very precious. It was a chance to gaze out at the beauty of the stars. They made her think of handfuls of diamonds scattered across a deep blue velvet cloth. Kasumi smiled and dreamed of the most popular way diamonds were used.

Her peace was interrupted by the jangle of the phone. She knew neither her father nor Mr. Saotome would pick it up. It would be rude to just let it ring, so Kasumi trudged towards the machine. Neither of the men noticed the weariness in her step. She was tired of the burden her family had become. She'd carried it for ten years now, and no one else seemed willing to pick up a share of the load. Kasumi was certain she was wasting her time, that the person calling was only someone selling something she didn't want or need.

But it was Dr. Tofu and suddenly Kasumi didn't feel so weary.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"You don't understand. I never meant to hurt anyone."

Akane was alone. At least, nothing human heard her whispers or saw her tears.

"I...I'm sorry, Ranma. I'm so sorry. I could have killed you. J...just like P-chan back at Ry...Ryugenzawa. I don't like being angry all the time. I don't want to be angry. B...but no one really listens. No one really cares what I want."

That wasn't fully true, but it was what Akane felt. Shinrou would have smiled if it could. This girl was full of buried fears. Unlike the other Mamonos, Shinrou didn't waste time worrying about the way the others had avoided its plans; it seized the new opportunity. It just needed to sense the threads of fear in the girl's soul and tug.

There were many of them, but all seemed to lead back to a central core. Akane was afraid of her own temper, of the damage it could cause. She was afraid that she might be carrying Ryouga's child. She was afraid of the responsibility. She was afraid of what her family and friends and neighbors might think of her. She was afraid she might lose Ryouga because if it. All those intertwined fears lead back to the core, the dark pulsing center of Akane's fears.

And she was alone. She was afraid of being alone. So many people she cared about had left her. Her mother. Her father. Nabiki. Tofu. Ranma. All were lost to death or to another woman.

That fear intertwined with another. Akane was afraid she wasn't attractive enough, skilled enough, smart enough, good enough to make them stay with her. It was why she reacted radically to even the mildest criticism. But you can never make a person stay with you, you can never earn their love, and this fear led back to the darkness of the core.

The central fear, the one all the others flowed out of seemed minor, even insignificant compared to the fears that grew from it. Akane feared loss of control in her life. She feared the way she couldn't predict or control her future. We delude ourselves that we control our lives and the events that surround them, but sometimes the truth peers out and it's a frightening truth. Akane first saw that truth when she was six, when the safe ordered routine of her life disappeared and she tried to lock it away. She tried to pass that control to other stronger people, expecting Ranma or Kasumi or Dr. Tofu to bring order to her life. She'd even turned to some of her kidnappers if they seemed to offer an island of stability in the chaotic sea of her existence.

But things hadn't gotten better. High school had devolved into demented chaos that fueled her anger. Then Ranma came, and life became stranger and even more frightening. She'd thought she was strong, but now she knew she was weak and helpless. She wasn't the best martial artist, she wasn't even one of the best anymore. She couldn't protect herself or anyone she cared about. She was the helpless six-year-old again.

That's where her anger first began, the blind striking out against a world that changed in cruel, frightening ways. When she was six, there wasn't anything physical to strike out against. Now that she was seventeen, Ranma provided a focus for her anger. That worked for a while, but her life changed again at Ryugenzawa. Ryouga had nearly died before Akane realized the anger she used as a defense against fear was now a source of fear itself. She was afraid of her anger now, of what it could do to others, of how it might drive away the people she cared about. Of how it already had. She no longer controlled her own emotions. She allowed herself to be controlled by them, just as much as the students had been controlled by Ikari earlier in the day.

Shinrou pulled on another thread of fear and Akane relived the events at Ryugenzawa.

"Oh, Ryouga, I'm sorry. I'm so very, very sorry. I could have killed you. I...I know I wanted to. I'm scared Ryouga, scared of myself. Is that all I have left after Momma died, just the anger?"

She'd seen how dark and ugly her anger could get. It terrified her and in that fear she lost herself to the creature that was Shinrou. The Mamono took its time, peeling away the defenses Akane used to guard herself against the uncaring world, wrapping her in the darkened threads of pain.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Doctor, how is my Airen?"

Tofu blinked. Other than that, he resembled a statue holding a telephone. He blinked a second time, then spoke again "I told you Ranma wasn't here, Shampoo. We still don't know where he is."

"Not Ranma, my other Airen. Konatsu."

Tofu blinked again in confusion and pointed towards the room. The Chinese girl spun her wheelchair effortlessly and bulleted down the hallway. She'd regained most of her former speed and strength, but damaged nerves did not heal.

The doctor paused in thought. He definitely needed more information from the Chinese girl. It would be disastrous if any of the other Amazons found her. He didn't expect them to look here now, but being cautious was wise.

"Hello?" The telephone recaptured his attention.

"I'm sorry, Kasumi. Things seem to be happening here. Please let me know if you see Ranma or Ukyou."

He planned to end the conversation there, but he ended up talking to the Tendo girl for ten more minutes. When he returned to his duties, he wore a rather silly smile.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Ranma's smile indicated he'd returned to his normal form. He put the teakettle back on the counter and turned towards the kitchen table. Ukyou slumped in a chair, head downcast.

"You alright, Ucchan?"

"Are you mad at me?" came the whisper.

"What? What for?"

A smile flickered across his fiancée's face, disappearing almost immediately. "Well, I got in your way in the fight, I called you a dummy, I bounced the washbucket off your head. Oh yes, and I kinda blew up at Akane, even though I've done some of the same stuff myself." Her voice was quiet and sad and she didn't see the way he flinched at the words 'blew up'.

"Ucchan." He needed to repeat her name before the girl looked up. "Ucchan, I ain't never been mad at you, 'cept for when you first got to Nerima and attacked me. As soon as I knew why, I quit being mad, 'cause you had a good reason. Since that day I think you've been the most patient of my...of the people I know." He laughed briefly, his voice hinting he was beginning to recover his confidence.

Ranma bent his knees into a crouch so he could look directly into her eyes. He saw a lot of things in those dark eyes, more than he could really understand.

"Hey, what you did was nothing compared to a typical day at the Tendo place and I understand your being sore with Akane. If she wasn't a girl, I mighta pounded her back. I know you wouldn't really hit her and maybe what you said might even stop her from pounding on me for a while."

He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. "I'm the one you should be mad at, Ucchan. All the stuff I've done..."

"I forgive you, Ranchan. I was too stupid to see it as a kid, but I...I know you wouldn't try to hurt me. Even...even if you end up with someone else, I...I know you wouldn't try to hurt me. I...I..." The girl gave a muffled sob and stared downwards.

"Aw, c'mon Ucchan. I hate it when girls cry. It's okay. It's gonna be okay. C'mon Ucchan, please don't cry." He didn't know what else to say, but that didn't matter. His fiancée wrapped her arms around him and started bawling. It was a day she never wanted to repeat. People had been hurt all around her. Some nearly died. Others were pushed to despair, to the point of breaking, and some even beyond. He'd nearly died. He'd been pushed to that edge. It was one of the most harrowing days of her life and she needed the release tears brought.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Airen, you so stupid." Stress made Shampoo to revert to the broken Japanese she'd used when she first came to this land of strangers.

The patient on the bed didn't respond. Konatsu still lay unconscious.

"Stupid Airen," the Chinese girl repeated but there was sorrow in her voice, not anger. She gently brushed a lock of hair off the ninja's forehead. "You not as strong as Shampoo and you get hurt. You need strong Amazon woman to take care of you, protect you." She released her breath in a drawn out sigh. "Sorry, Airen, Shampoo too weak to do that now. Shampoo no good to no ones no more. Maybe great-grandmother right, tribe be better off without Shampoo."

Unsurprisingly, the boy said nothing. Shampoo sighed and tried to think. She preferred problems that could be solved by smacking them with a bonbori, but life didn't seem to be providing them for her anymore.

The room was silent for several minutes, but during that time the Chinese girl found a goal. She might not be able to fight like before, but she saw a new field of battle that she could excel at. It was a hopeless battle, one that would eventually end in failure every time, but it was fighting the battle that made it worthwhile.

She already knew many of the skills she needed, thanks to her great-grandmother and Dr. Tofu. She knew a great deal about the human body and how its systems interacted. She understood the concept of pressure points, and the ways that chi flowed through the body. She possessed an extensive knowledge of herbs - their collection, preparation, and use.

This time the Chinese girl's speech was clear. "Konatsu, I know you can't hear me, but I've found a way to be useful again. I can't be a Warrior anymore, and while I wish to be a Mother, I want to be more than just that. There's something else, something honorable. I'm going to be a Healer, a doctor as you call it. Some people will laugh, because they're stupid enough to think I'm stupid, but I know I can do it. I already know a lot of things a Healer needs to know and I'm going use those skills to help people instead of trying to control them."

"I'll need your help, Airen. I wasted most of my life blindly following the rules of the tribe and even when it was what I wanted I didn't care if anyone got hurt along the way. I'm tired of being that stupid and that selfish and I want you to promise me something. Warn me if I'm ever becoming like Great-Grandmother or the women who raised you."

Konatsu remained unconscious, but the Chinese girl imagined she saw the ghost of a smile on his face. She silently vowed that she'd do everything she could to help this boy recover. He'd hurt her and while he could never repair the damage, he'd tried to make up for it. He'd tried to help and protect her and she would do the same for him.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

He was sure he'd never understand women. All he did was sit there while Ukyou clung to him and cried and she thanked him for it. He hadn't even done anything and the girl thanked him. Well, it was a lot better than not doing anything and getting smacked for it.

"Umm, you're welcome, Ucchan." She blushed and released him. The boy straightened his knees and attempted to stand. He'd been in an awkward position and the reduced circulation had caused his legs to fall asleep. Ranma nearly toppled over backwards. His arms windmilled rapidly and he almost overbalanced forward into his fiancée's lap. He caught himself in time, then realized he was staring down the front of her bathrobe. The boy shut his eyes, but the expected pounding didn't come.

Ukyou saw where his gaze had been and how quickly he'd closed his eyes. She also saw the blush spread across Ranma's cheeks. She smiled and then began giggling.

"Ucchan?" He half opened one eye then slammed it shut. The view was still too interesting.

His fiancée continued to laugh, but eventually replied, "What, Ranchan?" then dissolved into another fit of giggling. After a moment, he joined her and in the laughter he felt the darkness that shadowed his heart begin to melt away.

Ukyou still knew only the basics of magic, but she'd subconsciously shielded both herself and the boy she loved from the Mamonos' influence, blocking the fear that emanated from it. If she hadn't possessed the talent, Aijou could have enveloped her in sorrow or Haradachi could have drowned her with rage as they amplified existing emotions.

Laughter filled the kitchen, and it seemed as if the creature was far away, instead of at the other end of the house.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

This time Lin-Lin and Ran-Ran didn't need to smash a hole through the wall of Dr. Tofu's bathroom. They simply stepped over Ryouga's unconscious form and entered through the hole they'd previously created. They didn't find what they expected.

The room seemed darker than before, dark as the overcast sky outside. In the corner a human form knelt, its hands on its knees. Yet it wasn't fully human, a liquid darkness covered it, obscuring the features. A mouth like a jagged slash opened and a low moan issued from it. Empty staring lidless eyes turned towards them. The blank milky-white orbs were featureless and yet they seemed to stare straight at the Amazons.

They stepped back hurriedly. The girls didn't know what the creature was, but the darkness seemed to pool around it and inky tendrils slowly flowed blindly across the floor, probing towards them. Unsurprisingly, they were afraid, which was exactly what the creature intended.

The girls shared the unspoken agreement that they did not want to face whatever this thing was. A return to the Neko Hanten seemed wise, perhaps even a visit to China was appropriate. In unison they spun towards the exit only to find their way blocked by a boy wearing a black and yellow bandana. His eyes were wide and when he spoke it was strange and hoarse instead of his usual bellowing.

"Wha...what have you done to Akane?" They had no answer as he numbly repeated the question. They still had no reply when a line of darkness reached across the floor and wrapped itself around Lin-Lin.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Did you hear something, Ranchan?" Something felt wrong.

"It's the wind. I guess I should do something about that."

"It feels like more than that."

Ranma frowned. "Well, you do know more about this kinda stuff than I do. But are you sure?"

"No, I'm not," she sighed. "After all these monsters attacking, maybe I'm just jumping at shadows. Haradachi didn't show up until weeks after Aijou. And the monster today..." Ukyou paused, staring downwards.

"Yeah, Ikari didn't show up until weeks after Haradachi."

"You're right, Ranchan. I'm sounding like a scared little girl. We've got plenty of time before the next Mamono shows up."

"That makes sense. But I do need to do something about the wind."

It proved easier than he expected. A quick phone call was all he needed. The building company promised to be out in the morning to repair the bathroom wall and the tub. Their estimated costs were just under a third of what Nabiki had normally charged him. By the time Ranma hung up, he noticed a pleasant aroma.

"Here, Ranchan." She was too tired to make anything fancy and Tofu's selection of ingredients was limited. Miso soup was simple and chazuke only required pouring hot green tea over rice, though Ukyou had added toppings of seaweed and sliced unagi, the last for the stamina, assuming that her fiancé felt as exhausted as she did.

"I know you well enough to know you're hungry," she smiled.

Actually, he wasn't always hungry, but growing up with Genma taught him to eat quickly if he wanted anything. This time he was tired enough to relax and full enough to take his time. It was delicious. He'd missed a lot by eating like a steam shovel.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Ryouga and Ran-Ran stared at the place where her sister had stood. The girl had no time to scream before she was absorbed, plunged into the darkness as if the shadow spreading across the tiled floor were a pit. Almost immediately, something started reforming, rising slowly out of the darkness. It had the right proportions to be Lin-Lin, but the form was that same inky blackness with the same blank staring milky white eyes of the first figure.

"N...no," Ran-Ran whispered as she took a step towards Ryouga, away from the thing that had taken her sister.

Ryouga had faced Mamonos before and he didn't like it. This thing seemed to absorb you if you touched it and his chi blasts had been worse than useless against the other monsters. That left another option that he didn't like. He didn't have time to reason with the Chinese girl, he needed to get her away from the Mamono before it absorbed her, too.

He hoped Akane would forgive him, but he couldn't help her by staying. He needed to find someone who understood magic, someone who could help - Ukyou, Cologne, Gosunkugi, the psychic Miyo, perhaps even Shampoo. Ryouga grabbed Ran-Ran and fled into the darkness. She struggled, but she was no match for the boy's strength.

Ryouga's eyes filled with tears. Even if Akane forgave him, he'd never forgive himself. Bushes, trees, telephone poles and walls seemed to spring up in his path, but he shattered them and continued running into the night. The only people pleased with his random flight were the building repair companies based in Nerima.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Tofu's day had been much busier than he planned. He wanted to grab a late dinner, take a warm bath, and go to sleep. He got two out of the three. He'd also tried to leave his worries at the hospital, but he'd had even less success there. Shampoo and Konatsu were still on his mind.

Ranma and Ukyou sat in his kitchen, obviously uninjured. The pair looked up from steaming cups of tea and smiled. They clearly had no idea people had been looking for them for several hours.

"Hi, Doc."

"Hello, Doctor Tofu."

He nodded in reply, noting that their only garments appeared to be bathrobes. Like so many other people that night, he came to a reasonable conclusion. He saw them chatting happily and decided now would not be a good time for a lecture. Besides, he was tired and hungry. Fortunately, the girl had made enough to match Ranma's usual appetite and the leftovers smelled delicious.

"Um, Doc," the boy interrupted.

"Yes," Tofu sighed. He wanted to eat, not talk.

"Um, well, you said I had to pay for any damage. Well, umm, I called the repair place and they should be out in the morning to fix stuff."

Tofu considered saying "Who are you and what did you do with the real Ranma?" but perhaps the boy was growing up a little. Instead, the Doctor replied, "What happened?"

"Well, the bathroom wall is because of Lin-Lin and Ran-Ran, a couple more Chinese Amazons. The tub is because Akane hammered me again."

"What else?" Kasumi had described the occasional carnage Ranma's fights caused to the house and dojo. Tofu gazed in wonder that his home still stood.

"That's all. Ucchan and I scared 'em off before they could do anything more. Don't worry, I'll pay for it."

Ranma hesitated as he realized he'd just told the doctor that he and Ukyou had been in the bathroom together.

Tofu smiled and decided to indulge in some gentle teasing. "So the other girls interrupted you two."

"Yes," replied Ranma's mouth before his brain caught up with it. The boy continued his mistake by trying to talk his way out of it. The two teens were blushing fiercely by the time Ranma stumbled his way into silence.

The silence lasted for a few eternities before Tofu spoke more seriously.

"Ranma, Ukyou, are you two taking precautions?"

Another embarrassed silence followed as the doctor explained.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Where am I now?" Ryouga's standard greeting came out as a feeble whisper. He'd pushed himself to the point of exhaustion in his frantic attempt to find help for Akane. The Lost Boy collapsed to his knees and released the Amazon he was carrying. He winced as she fell heavily to the floor, but he was too tired to put her down gently.

That didn't matter. Ran-Ran sat up, wrapped her arms around Ryouga, looked into his eyes, and firmly intoned, "Wo Airen." He tried to clear the fatigue from his mind and remember what her words meant. Shampoo called Ranma her Airen.

"Wo Airen," the girl repeated.

"I...I'm sorry. I don't know any Chinese. I don't understand."

"She called you her husband," came a whisper from the darkness.

"Wha..." Ryouga's cry was cut off by the Amazon girl shifting her grip to around his neck. The trembling girl nearly strangled Ryouga as she attempted to hide behind him.

"Who?" the Lost Boy gasped as he pried the girl's hands free. His question was answered when the person hidden by the darkness turned on the lights.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Goodnight, Marianne. Goodnight, Francois. Goodnight Martine."

Azusa's voice lacked its normal perky cheerfulness. She'd exhausted herself crying and habit was the only reason she was bidding her collection of cute items goodnight.

"Goodnight, Josephine. Goodnight, Antoinette. Goodnight Babette."

The familiar routine was no longer comforting.

"Pierre," she whispered the name she'd attached to Konatsu. "Pierre, please Pierre, I'm all alone. Please..." her voice faded as a troubled sleep claimed her.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"That was a little more than I needed to know."

Ranma nodded silent agreement to Ukyou. They'd escaped to his room after Dr. Tofu's lecture on responsible precautions. Now they sat near the corner, leaning against adjacent walls. The boy realized he only needed to stretch forward to touch his fiancée.

"Ucchan, why does everyone think we're, well, you know..."

She laughed and Ranma joined her. "Sorry, that was pretty dumb of me. What a mess this is. Tofu, Akane, Lin-Lin and Ran-Ran all think that we're..." He still couldn't say it.

"Don't forget Yuka and Daisuke," his fiancée added.

"Yeah, that's my fault too," he sighed. "Now they all think we're doing stuff. Lin-Lin and Ran-Ran will tell the rest of the China crew. Akane will tell her family and my folks before morning. The whole school will know by lunchtime. Seems like no matter how hard I try to get things straightened out, something happens to make it more of a mess. Now I'm causing more problems for you. Some of these weirdos may even attack you."

"It's alright, Ranchan." He needed to strain to hear her voice.

"No, it's not alright," he insisted. "Seems like every thing I do hurts you one way or another. You'd have been a lot better off..."

"No," Ukyou interrupted firmly, "No, I wouldn't."

"But these last few weeks..."

"I've spent more time with you in the last few weeks than I have in the last few months, maybe even the last year. Not all of it was fun, but a lot of life isn't fun." She looked up and Ranma saw a yearning, a longing in her eyes. He wondered if it had always been there and he'd just been too clueless to notice it before. "That's okay, Ranchan, I got to spend it with you, the good times and the bad. That's what made it worth living, that I could spend it with you. That's all I ever really wanted." Ukyou smiled, and there was something in her eyes and her smile. Ranma didn't want to speak or even breathe for fear he might ruin the moment.

_I call her my cute fiancée, but I'm wrong. She's beautiful._

He wanted to tell her that, but he was...he was afraid.

His father wouldn't let him get close to anyone female during the more than a decade they traveled Japan and China. Genma had the stupid idea that being around women would make his son soft and weak. Once Ranma had believed that, before he met Cologne. She might look like a withered leathery monkey, but she was probably the best martial artist he'd ever met and she'd actually helped him grow much stronger in the Art.

But he was afraid. Any woman he cared about was taken from him and he was afraid to get close, afraid to get hurt, afraid to lose them like he lost his mother. There was another reason he was afraid to get close to Ukyou. She was a friend and he didn't have many of those. He was afraid that if he tried to be more than a friend, he'd mess it all up and lose one of the few people he could call his friend.

"You still there, Ranchan?"

He cursed himself for changing her expression from joy to worry. "Sorry, Ucchan. I was just thinking."

"About?"

He wanted to see her smile return, the special smile that she only gave him. Something ached when he thought of her, when he thought of how close he'd come to losing her, when he realized how much she did matter to him. He knew she wanted to be with him and he...he did want to be with her.

He remembered her words, direct simple words about love. He wasn't good with words, especially for things like this, but ones Ukyou spoke earlier clamored in his mind. Those words were a start, like the basic exercises of martial arts. If he could practice them, make them a part of his life then the advanced techniques would come, he was sure of it.

And he realized he did know a little more about love than that. An instant beneath a magic umbrella with her. The red thread of magic Shampoo had used to try to bind his heart to hers. And the unpleasant incident he'd tried to erase from his memory when he accidentally swallowed the Momentary Love Pill. For a terrifying moment, Cologne's ugly face appeared beautiful and a cruel person seemed kind. Now Ranma saw someone who was beautiful and kind and it wasn't because of any pill. The feeling didn't end after a moment, either, and the only magic was the magic of her smile.

Still he hesitated, balanced on the edge of decision.

_How did Akane put it? 'Ranma, do you believe in destiny?' And I said 'No, I think you make your own fate.'_

He looked at his fiancée. She smiled nervously, still waiting for his reply.

_Waiting for me to decide. They've all been waiting. Even I've been waiting, waiting for fate to solve my problems. How long has she waited, all because I'm being chicken?_

He'd lived with fear, and Shinrou's probing had reminded him of just how many threads of that emotion were woven through his life. He didn't remember crossing to where Ukyou sat, but suddenly he was inches away from her. Close enough to feel her breath tickle his upper lip. Hesitation was mirrored in her eyes, but also trust and something more. He paused, hesitant again. She smiled encouragement and he kissed her with an intensity he'd only devoted to martial arts before.

He had chosen, tearing free from the fears that bound him, plunging through the tattered remains of the curse that Ukyou's grandmother had placed between them, and in that decision finally freeing himself from the grinding wheels of fate.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Ryouga glared suspiciously at Mousse, while still trying to ease Ran-Ran's grip on his windpipe. They were the only inhabitants of the Neko Hanten, and the restaurant was obviously closed. With one exception, the chairs were turned upside down and placed on top of the tables. The Chinese Boy sat at that lone table, a cup in one hand and a sake bottle swinging negligently between thumb and forefinger of the other. He tried to focus on Ryouga, but couldn't quite manage it.

Mousse spoke in a calm even voice, though it was obvious he'd put in an effort to make it calm and even. "The old ghoul's not going to be too happy with you, Pig Boy." He gestured with the hand that held the cup towards the hole Ryouga had shattered in the wall. The Chinese Boy rolled his head to look in the direction that he'd gestured, suddenly noticing the cup. In a practiced motion, he first drained and then slowly refilled it. He looked at neither cup nor bottle, but he never spilled a drop.

Ryouga's first impulse was to smash the other boy through the nearest wall, but he was too tired to attempt it yet and settled for glaring at Mousse. The Chinese boy chuckled bitterly and drained another cupful.

"Looks like you two are trapped by the stupid Amazon laws," Mousse intoned acerbically. "I wish you unhappiness together, a little fool and a bigger lost fool." He snorted in amusement and filled another cup of sake, draining it as well.

"Ran-Ran happy to have Airen. He brave and strong and handsome."

"Like a pig," Ryouga whispered.

"What?" The girl gaped in confusion.

Mousse answered sourly. "This idiot didn't tell you? That's no surprise, he can't ever say what he needs to, just like I couldn't ever do what I needed to. The fool fell into a Jusenkyou pool. Heituenniichuan. Spring of drowned black piglet."

Ran-Ran listened as Mousse explained. Ryouga didn't hear a word of it. "Like a pig," he repeated. "Akari called me brave and strong and handsome. Like a pig. I've been so busy with Akane. I haven't even thought of Akari." Ryouga felt his heart tear in two. Akari was so kind and gentle and nice to him and he hadn't even faced her about Akane. He hadn't even thought of the other girl.

"They both..." He glanced at Ran-Ran. "They all deserve someone better than me."

A nimbus of light formed around the boy and started increasing in brightness. Ran-Ran looked to Mousse for explanation.

"Shishi Hokoudan. Negative chi. He's about to blow up. It should level the restaurant." Mousse's only action was to try to refill his cup, but the sake was gone. He shrugged and stood. "Guess I need another bottle."

Ran-Ran interrupted as he turned toward the kitchen. "Will...will it hurt us?"

"No," he smiled, "It won't hurt us."

The girl relaxed visibly.

"It will just kill us," Mousse smirked.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Tofu was nearly ready for bed when the phone rang. For a moment, he considered knocking on Ranma's door and saying it was for Ukyou, but when he actually answered, all thought of teasing fled.

His joy at hearing Kasumi's voice was eclipsed by the knowledge that Akane was missing again. He tried to be reassuring, but after what had happened to Nabiki, he wasn't sure if he was succeeding.

"Yes, she was here. Ranma saw her before I returned home. No, he didn't mention Ryouga and he didn't say which way she went. No, he's in bed now, and I don't think it would be wise to disturb him; he had a rather strenuous day and I don't think he's up to helping yet. Yes, I'll tell him you hope he's feeling better soon. Yes, I think you should let your father sleep. All he'd do is worry and I'm sure she'll be home soon, just like she was the last time this happened. Please don't worry so much, Akane can take care of herself."

He was wrong.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo


	10. Shinrou Part 3

Mamono Hunter Ukyou

Shinrou: Shadow of Fear

Part 3

By Edward A. Simons

Based on characters and situations created by Takahashi Rumiko. Ranma 1/2 and characters copyright Shogakukan, Kitty Animation Circle, and Takahashi Rumiko. Devil Hunter Yohko and characters copyright NCS, Toho Company, LTD., and Mad House. This story revised 2005 by Edward Simons.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

In the silence of the night

How we shiver with affright

At the melancholy menace of their tone!

For every sound that floats

From the rust within their throats,

Is a groan:

Edgar Allen Poe, "The Bells"

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Angry?"

"No, of course not, Ranchan."

They lay on his futon, her head pillowed on his shoulder.

"Disappointed?"

"Yes. No. Well, I guess my question is really why."

"It...It just didn't seem right. I'm not so good at explaining, but..."

"Is it because of what Tofu said? Are you worried about me having a kid?"

"That's...that's some of it, Ucchan. It's bad enough what some people are probably saying about you. I guess I don't wanna prove 'em right. I've seen it. It's not fair. People treat the girl like something you'd scrape off the bottom of your shoe. The guy, they think it makes him more of a man. My mom would probably think that." He paused, grappling with the thought. "I guess she doesn't know what being a man really is."

"Ranchan, you know I..."

"Yeah, Ucchan, you...you were willing to trust me. I coulda done what I wanted and you woulda let me. Stopping before we got too far was hard, maybe the hardest thing I've done. But I wanna do this right, I wanna do what's best for you. That means not doing anything before marriage. That way having a kid would be something good, instead of something to be afraid of. That way you can look 'em in the eyes and laugh when they say things like that."

"But they'll say those things about me anyway. It's like what the other kids said when your Dad stole my dowry. They treated me like it was my fault, like it made me less...less of a woman."

Something crystallized in Ukyou's eyes. "You...you said marriage. Does...does that...do you..."

"I was thinking about what you said to Akane." He repeated Ukyou's words, "It's about trust. It's about respect. It's about forgiveness," then added his own. "That's a start. It's not enough, but it's a start. I was never too good on the respect part, unless people knew martial arts. There's Kasumi..."

"What about Kasumi?"

"I expected her to cook and clean and do laundry and stuff and I didn't even thank her."

"But now you know that. And there's your mom. She doesn't know any martial arts, but you treat her with respect."

"I guess so, Ucchan. I still don't think I'm so good at it. I think I've done better on the forgiveness part. I ain't one for holding grudges. If I was, Pops would be hurting for what he did to you and Mom and Akane and Kaori and Kami-knows-who else."

"And so would Happosai," the girl added.

"And lots other people, but that's not me," he finished. "So that leaves trust. I don't trust the Amazons or Kodachi; they used too many tricks and traps to try to make me do what they want. The only girls I really trust are you, Akane, and Kasumi."

Ukyou caught her breath. It was the second time he'd mentioned the older Tendo girl. "Kasumi?"

"Yeah, like I said, I trust her," he replied. "But that's what I mean by what you said wasn't enough. I like Kasumi; I trust her; but she's like a big sister I never had. I like her. I like her a lot. But I can't see me ever doing more than liking her."

"What...what about..." Ukyou stammered.

Ranma continued. "Akane though, I mean, she can be so cute when she smiles. And when we aren't fighting..." He didn't notice Ukyou burying her face in his side and willing herself not to cry. "But we always end up fighting and she hardly ever smiles anymore, at least around me. Usually she's angry or sad." He hadn't meant to hurt anyone, but he knew he had. "And I know she doesn't trust me," Ranma continued, "I don't think she's ever forgiven me being a guy."

"What?"

"If I was a girl, she didn't have to worry about no stupid engagement and I could see she didn't want one. I didn't either and I guess we kinda took it out on each other. After a while I got tired of it all and I realized just how much this whole mess was hurting everybody - her, you, everybody."

He didn't mention that the insight was the result of Aijou's attempt to possess him. The monster's attempt to destroy him had finally woken the boy to the sorrow in the lives around him.

"I don't care if Pops or Mr. Tendo are happy about what I do, not after the way they tried to force me to fulfill the promise otheyo made. Did you know Mr. Tendo tried to make Akane look at me when she swallowed a love pill? And if Pops really cared about who I married, he shouldn't have engaged me to so many girls." There was anger in the boy's words and a little bitterness. "I still don't know what to do about the mess he made. That's why I moved to Tofu's, so I could try to sort the whole disaster out."

"And I just...I finally realized something, Ucchan."

She looked up at her fiancé, not daring to breathe.

"I realized there's a girl who I think is cute, not just when she smiles, but even when she's angry or sad or tired. A girl who forgives me even when it's my fault she feels that way. A girl I don't want to feel that way anymore."

He didn't know what else to say, which was fine. Ukyou didn't give him an opportunity to speak for quite a while.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Mousse sat up and groaned. Someone with iron feet was tap-dancing across the inside of his skull. He focused past the pain and ignored it. It wasn't all that much worse than being smacked over the head by Cologne's staff. He swallowed and realized his mouth tasted like something furry crawled into it and died several weeks ago. That was much harder to ignore.

Sunlight peered through the broken wall of the restaurant, showing that it was morning and that the building still stood. It illuminated Ryouga sprawled on the floor with Ran-Ran nestled against his back. It also seemed to laser through Mousse's eyes and set fire to the front of his brain. He staggered towards the kitchen in search of one of the herbal remedies Cologne had concocted.

It tasted foul, but no fouler than his mouth already tasted. His stomach protested, but reluctantly agreed to retain its contents for now.

"What happ..." Mousse began but silenced himself, wincing away from the noise. He remembered anyway. The idiot Pig Boy had been glowing from starting to summon a Perfect Shishi Hokoudan and Mousse had expected that to be his final sight. Instead, Ran-Ran had switched the grip on her tiger fork and swung the haft of the trident-shaped weapon like a club. Its arc had intersected the back of Ryouga's head and slammed him unconscious.

"She must have done the same to me when I turned back towards the kitchen," Mousse whispered, wincing again as pain stabbed through his skull. It was definitely time for more of the herbal remedy and then perhaps some much needed sleep.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Tofu wrapped his hands around the steaming cup of tea and inhaled its fragrance. It was the start of a relaxing morning ritual that he hoped would culminate in a hot bath. The repair crew was due soon and he anticipated it eagerly.

Yet behind his calm exterior, something nagged at Tofu.

_Kasumi should have called about Akane, one way or another._

He stood and moved towards the phone.

"SorrydocIgottarun." A pigtailed blur whipped past, nearly knocking the teacup from Tofu's hand. He blinked and was nearly trampled by a second blur. The hair was longer and lighter than the first blur, and the borrowed Chinese shirt was blue instead of red.

"WaitformeRanchan!"

Tofu felt tired just watching them hurtle out of sight and he never did get a chance to inform them that the school was closed for repairs. He didn't even get to tell them that Shampoo was with Konatsu at the hospital.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Morning had arrived and Akane was still missing. Kasumi didn't know what to do, but she wished she knew how to pull a mallet from nowhere like her little sister did.

_At least then Father would stop bawling and I could think of something._

She'd slept fitfully and it was hard for her to think clearly, especially over the noise of her father's wailing.

"Where's breakfast?" demanded the sign the panda freeloader held.

Kasumi gave Genma a look that would have caused a more perceptive person to flee. "Get it yourself," she replied. The panda stood there in confusion as Kasumi walked towards the phone. She'd almost picked it up when it rang.

"Tofu?" she asked.

"No, it's me, Ryouga. I'm sorry, Kasumi, I'm sorry. It's all my fault."

"What happened?" She wasn't sure she wanted the answer.

"A...Akane was kidnapped, but I'll get her back. I swear I will, Kasumi. I'll do whatever it takes."

"Who did it?"

There was silence. Ryouga didn't want to mention the creature. The silence wore on unpleasantly, but he couldn't lie to Akane's sister. "I'm sorry. It was a Mamono. It had to be."

She nearly dropped the phone. A strangled gasp was all she managed.

"Kasumi...Kasumi, are you still there? I'll get your sister back. I swear I will."

She barely heard him.

_I'm alone._ She'd lost the members of her family one by one. She'd tried to be strong for all of them, and now she needed them, needed their support. She glanced towards her father. She wasn't going to find it there. Her legs felt like they wouldn't be able to hold her up much longer.

"Kasumi?" the phone implored.

"I'm sorry, Ryouga. Where are you now?"

"The Neko Hanten."

"I'll be there as soon as I can. Please just stay there."

Before the Lost Boy could reply, she hung up and began dialing Dr. Tofu.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Now what?" Ranma spoke, but Ukyou thought the same thing. The pause that followed should have been quiet and still, but the repair crews swarming over Furinkan High guaranteed that it wasn't.

"I wonder what else happened," he added. There was a scarred line burned across the concrete. The charred trench ended where what they would always remember as Kodachi's tree had stood. All that remained was a shattered husk.

"It's cold," the boy murmured, and he meant more than the temperature. Movement drew his eyes and he noticed his fiancée shivering. "What happened to your coat, Ucchan?" He remembered the night she nearly froze.

"I'm not sure. I think the Mamono Hunter dress got too messed up to trade places with it and the rest of my clothes anymore."

"Here, use mine."

She blushed, recalling the borrowed shirt and slacks she wore were also his. The blush grew deeper as she considered that that was all she was wearing. _Even if Ranchan has underclothes for his cursed form, I am onoto gonna ask to borrow them. And what if he does have a bra and I'm not big enough to fill it?_

"Ucchan?"

"What? Oh, thanks," she smiled; pretending it was his arms wrapped around her instead of his coat. Ukyou dug her hands deep into the pockets and exhaled, watching her breath dissipate in the winter air. It felt like her strength had faded away, too. She smiled wearily. After the events of the previous day, a little fatigue was unsurprising.

"I don't know what I want to do, Ranchan. It looks like there's no school, and I'm not in the mood to open the restaurant, even though Konatsu's probably working as hard as he can and bankrupting me in the process. Seems like all I do is work, or study, or practice martial arts, or try to learn magic. I never seem to have the time to relax and I'm not sure I know how anymore."

She looked out from the wall they were balancing on. "I don't know if it makes sense, but I'd like to spend a day doing nothing in particular. That is, if you'll show me how, Ranchan."

"Sure," he replied. "I usually just wander around and try to talk shopkeepers outta food. It's amazing what acting all cute and girly can get you."

"Okay," she blinked.

"Pops always said never pay for food if you don't hafta. Sometimes the ol' furball's smarter than he looks. Of course, a cute girl like you should have no problem talking people out of enough eats for both of us."

"Cute?" she blushed.

"Yeah," he replied. "Then if I'm lucky, Ryouga or one of the other guys shows up with some new technique. Or maybe if I'm really lucky somebody I never heard of attacks. Either way, that's a lotta fun, usually takes up most of the afternoon, and lets me work up a real appetite. Then it's home for one of Kasumi's delicious dinn..." His voice trailed away.

"Ranchan?"

"You know, the Tendo place is the closest thing to a real home I've had, Ucchan."

"Do you miss it?"

"Parts of it. I sure don't miss Pops and Mr. Tendo's harebrained schemes to get me hitched to the fiancée that otheyo picked. Or Mr. Tendo kicking me out whenever he got torqued enough. Or Nabiki's latest plan to make money offa humiliating me. Or arguing with Akane over whatever dumb thing our Dads were trying to do, or the latest weirdo to show up, or who she thought I was with when I was gone."

He took a deep breath and released it slowly. "You know, maybe I don't miss it all that much after all." He smiled, she laughed, and that made him smile more.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Will you people just shut up and leave me alone." Neither of Mousse's wishes was granted. "Cologne is onoto here, I don't know where she is and I don't care. She's the only one who could answer your questions. Just leave me alone. I want to be alone," he repeated petulantly.

They ignored his wishes. People usually did. Kasumi and Ran-Ran wanted their sisters back. Ryouga wanted Akane back. Mousse wasn't sure how this Dr. Tofu had gotten involved and at the moment he didn't care about that, either. All he wanted was to be left to wallow in self-pity. He didn't get the opportunity.

"I don't know magic and I'm not going to risk messing around with Cologne's stuff. Even if it doesn't kill me, she will."

"So when will she be back?" Kasumi whispered.

"I don't know that, either,' the boy snapped. "She never told me what she was doing before now, what makes you think she would this time?"

Kasumi shrank from the bitter words and Tofu reflexively put his arm around her. He spoke next.

"So who is around that does know magic? Who can help us find Akane?"

"And sister," chimed Ran-Ran.

Mousse sighed. "They only teach magic to the women. Most of that is Taoist alchemy or the occasional use of magical objects. I've seen jewelry, bells, mirrors, and a few weapons. They never let me touch them and I don't know how to use them. The one person here who might know a way of tracking the monster would be Ran-Ran."

All eyes turned towards the younger teen. She clung to Ryouga, trying to draw strength from him. A quick shake of her head showed she would be unable to help.

"Well, there's..." and Tofu paused. He only knew a little of Amazon law, but Cologne had made it clear what would happen to Shampoo if any of the Amazons found her. "There's got to be someone," he continued.

Ryouga answered. "A...Akane told me about some girl in her class at school, that was supposed to be able to predict the future." The youngest Tendo had told P-chan a lot of things. "I think the girl's name was Miyo. And there's a creepy guy named Gosunkugi in her class that keeps trying magic. Ukyou seems to know some magic now. She healed me during that big fight at the school yesterday."

Tofu thought for a moment. "Ryouga, if you and..." he gestured towards the Chinese girl.

"Ran-Ran," she replied.

"If you two could go by Ukyou's restaurant and see if she's there. Kasumi and I will go to the hospital. If we can't find the information we need there, we'll call Miss Hinako."

"Who's that?" Ryouga replied.

"A teacher from Furinkan High." Tofu considered a moment. "Mousse, you should stay here. It's a good central place for us to meet again and we can call if we learn anything useful."

The Chinese boy shrugged and sat down. Tofu saw the others begin to move, some with reluctance, but they were moving. He thought he'd improvised well. Ran-Ran and Mousse would be kept busy doing needed things. Things that kept them well away from the hospital and Shampoo. That way he and Kasumi could ask the girl about her knowledge of magic without endangering her life.

They scattered to their various tasks, leaving Mousse alone in the darkened restaurant. Alone except for an irregular patch of shadow that was darker than any of the others.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

She hadn't expected this. The lights were out and the closed sign hung in the window of her restaurant.

"Konatsu? Shampoo?"

Repeated calls brought no response. There were no signs of violence, but no explanation for their disappearance, either.

"What do you think happened, Ucchan?"

"Maybe they're out shopping."

He shrugged, but didn't have a better guess.

There was no explanation for the computer set up on the counter, either. Both martial artists were silent; waiting to see if someone would reveal themselves. The wait soon became boring and Ranma switched on the lights.

His fiancée had already moved to the computer. She didn't recognize the Standard Systems brand name, but the machine was an attractive lavender color. A discarded cardboard box and the styrofoam packing material lay nearby. The mailing label showed it came from Grandma Mano. The box also contained directions for setting up the computer, but someone had clearly done that.

"Shampoo."

"What was that, Ucchan?"

"Shampoo set this up. That's where Konatsu got those printouts yesterday." The memories that triggered were clear from Ukyou's resting her face in her hands. The ninja had nearly arrived too late to save either of them.

"Ucchan?" He placed a hand on her shoulder.

"I'm okay. At least I am now." She covered his hand with hers and raised her head again. Their eyes met and Ranma leaned towards her.

An object clattered to the floor behind them. The front door was slightly ajar; letting cold air seep into the room, and the object lay just inside the doorway. Neither of them recognized it.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"I'm sorry, Kasumi. You were right to be concerned and I was a complete idiot for telling you there was nothing to worry about last night."

"No, what you said made sense, Tofu. Akane's been gone before and there was nothing wrong, like the time she and Ryouga disappeared recently. It took a couple weeks, but when she got back she was just fine."

"I still should have seen it," he replied bitterly. "Especially after what happened the first time a Mamono showed up."

"That's not your fault, so quit blaming yourself," she insisted. "You did everything you could for Nabiki."

"And it wasn't enough!"

"It was everything you could do!" Her voice softened. "You did everything you could and no one's blaming you. Nobody except for yourself." She smiled hesitantly. "I've known since I was nine that even when the best tried their best it wasn't always enough. But what happened to my mother wasn't the fault of the doctors then and what happened to Nabiki wasn't your fault, either. And I know Akane couldn't have a better chance than to have you helping look for her."

"Thank you, Kasumi. I wish I had your confidence and your courage."

"Courage? I'm not brave, I'm terrified. But I have to do this and having you here gives me the strength to do it."

He didn't know what to say and by that point they'd reached his clinic.

"Weren't we going to the hospital?" the girl asked.

"I remembered there was something I needed to check here first." It wasn't long before Tofu found what he was looking for.

"Hikaru Gosunkugi was one of my patients after the first incident with a Mamono at Furinkan High," he explained. "I had his telephone number here at the clinic." As Kasumi nodded response, he dialed the number. After a brief conversation, he turned back to her.

"His parents say he didn't come home last night."

Kasumi's worry mirrored Tofu's. "So the monster's probably got him, too."

"It's the only thing that makes sense," he replied grimly.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Some people thought Ranma was afraid of water. Actually, he rather liked it as long as it was hot, like the water currently streaming from the showerhead.

Whoever had dropped the strange crystal had disappeared by the time he'd reached the street outside of Ucchan's. That's when a passing car kicked the semi-frozen slush into his face, which was one of the reasons Ukyou let him use the shower first.

Another was that she'd at least gotten to use the bath at Tofu's the night before, though she had been rather insistent about getting a turn after he was done. Lastly, his fiancée was busy using her new computer to research what the mysterious crystal might do.

"She's right, she does need to learn how to relax," the boy murmured as he turned to let the water cascade over his back and shoulders. He smiled and closed his eyes as the water massaged away some of the tension he'd stored there.

A banging on the bathroom door interrupted his reverie. His fiancée obviously wanted her turn at the shower. Reluctantly, he twisted the knobs and the cascade became a trickle, then ceased. He stared at the final drops swirling down the drain. He was tempted to tell her to come join him in the shower. Very tempted. Some guys would even suggest it as a way of helping her relax.

"Ucchan, why don't you..."

"Yes?" she replied.

_Was that eagerness in her voice or did I imagine it?_

He closed his eyes again, trying unsuccessfully not to think about it.

"Ranchan?" Her voice was muffled by the door.

"I never knew doing the right thing was gonna be so hard," he whispered.

"Sorry, Ucchan." His voice was louder this time. "I'll be out inna second." He quickly toweled dry, then donned his clothing.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Mousse had lied.

_Of course I understand magic. How else do those fools think I manage to pull weapons from nowhere, even when I'm a duck?_

So far, that and the occasional effect with a magical object were all that he'd accomplished. Both were the results of hard won trial and error with no encouragement from any of the Amazon women. Some of them even called him a master of the dark arts. Mousse knew he wasn't.

_If I was a master, I could have freed myself from the Mamono's control, canceled my curse, corrected my vision, and healed Shampoo before that stupid law destroyed her._

What little power he possessed scared most of them and the boy enjoyed that. Men were supposed to be weak, silly, stupid little things that ended up doing most of the drudgework. Any man with power scared them, because it hinted they might not be inherently superior merely because they were female. The fact that his power was something as little understood and dangerous as magic only made them more nervous.

The strong ones like Cologne didn't fear him, though they didn't encourage him, either. Mousse thought for a moment. Nothing Cologne owned could heal Shampoo or the Old Ghoul would have used it. Now it was too late for even that, for Mousse was sure Shampoo was dead. That's why her great-grandmother had returned to China and they'd never see her again.

If Mousse had been a bit more clever, he would have wondered why Cologne had left most of her things behind.

Instead, he planned something no other Amazon male would contemplate. He would search the old woman's things for some method of returning Shampoo to life. Somewhere among the moldering tomes of lore, the ancient brittle scrolls, and the weird magical objects, there must be something of value. Something Cologne would have dismissed as wild rumor, or discarded as too dangerous, or maybe she'd only forgotten it because she was old.

The boy wasn't afraid of the risks or the sacrifices that might be required of him. He wasn't afraid, because he had nothing left to lose anymore.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Okay, I'm ready," Ukyou smiled. She'd spent a lot longer in the shower than Ranma had expected. His fiancée was still dressed in the blue shirt and black pants she'd borrowed from him, though she'd reacquired a white hair ribbon and another combat spatula. "So what are we gonna do now, Ranchan?"

"Don't you need to use the computer to look up stuff about that weird pendant?" It was strung around her neck now.

She shrugged lazily, a movement that showed her breasts weren't bound beneath the borrowed shirt. "That can wait. I get to spend the rest of the day with you and that's a lot more important than any stupid old pendant." She fell silent for a moment. "Though you do keep staring at it." She smiled again.

He felt a warmth in his cheeks, was sure he was blushing as red as his shirt. "What? Oh yeah, the pendant." He looked away. "Um, well, what do ya wanna do today?"

He felt her put her arm around his and rest her head on his shoulder. "We could always go to that karaoke place your friend Daisuke recommended."

He looked down at Ukyou, who was staring at the floor, though her grip on his arm had tightened. "That's kinda dangerous, isn't it?"

"I don't mind," she whispered.

"Yeah, I know," he sighed. "But it ain't very smart, is it?'

"I'm not very smart where you're involved, Ranchan." She chuckled softly. "That's okay, I'm still kinda tired anyway. I'm sure we can find something else to do."

"Like what?"

"I'm sure we'll think of something. I just want to get out of the restaurant for a while."

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Ryouga paused outside Ukyou's place. The Lost Boy knew he'd probably have needed weeks to find the restaurant without Ran-Ran's help.

"I'm useless. Akane doesn't need me. She needs someone strong and clever." The boy didn't notice that he'd spoken aloud. "Someone who can at least find his own house. Not a worthless waste of time like me."

Ran-Ran blinked. She could tell her Airen wasn't really talking to her, but she wanted to help him. While she hesitated, his dark thoughts continued silently as he examined his options.

_Ranma? No, he's chosen Ukyou._ Ryouga felt lightheaded just recalling what he'd overheard. _Shinnosuke? No, he's gone. Another person I was too weak to save. Kuno? If Akane's rescue depends on that jerk, she's doomed._

"That leaves me. Only me. Poor Akane." The boy collapsed to his knees. He didn't even realize he was crying. Only the dim understanding that it would help no one and hurt the Chinese girl standing nearby prevented Ryouga from unleashing another Perfect Shishi Hokoudan.

Ran-Ran had enough training to sense the negative emotions building in Ryouga, and she knew what they could mean now.

"Is alright, Airen. We find Spatula Witch and rescue Sister Lin-Lin and Violent Girl. You not need go boom now, alright." Under her breath, the Chinese girl cursed her lack of knowledge of Japanese and the stupidity of males in general. They always let themselves be controlled by their emotions instead of being proper warriors like the Amazon women.

Ran-Ran frowned, trying to remember what the tribal elders had taught about dealing with a hysterical male. This whole Airen business was a lot harder than she'd expected and she didn't think she was ready for it. Unfortunately, the laws didn't allow for that, so she'd have to grow up a little faster than she wanted. She was tired and hungry and even injured, but it was her duty to help the man she had to marry.

"Is alright, Airen. No worry, Ran-Ran take care of you." She wished Ryouga would say something to explain why he was so upset. It was so like a male to begin crying for no particular reason. Now he'd probably expect her to understand why he was crying without any explanation at all and if she didn't figure it out he'd get angry with her for not caring.

"No. No, it is onoto alright. Akane trusted me and she's gone and I can't even help her."

"Who care about Stupid Violent Girl? Airen have to help Ran-Ran rescue Sister Lin-Lin from Shadow Monster." Her voice dropped to a whisper. "Or maybe avenge her."

"I care about Akane," the boy snapped. "I love her. I'll do whatever it takes to save her." Ryouga stopped with a stricken expression. _I don't even have the right to say that, do I? Shinnosuke fought the Orochi even though he was dying. I'd wanted to ask him if her loved her more than life itself and it's obvious he did. He proved that again against that plant Mamono. All I did was run away. _

The Chinese girl was visibly frustrated. "Stupid Airen no need Stupid Violent Girl. Airen have Ran-Ran. Ran-Ran better fighter, better cook, and be much better looking than Violent Girl."

Ryouga spun away from the Amazon and almost stormed off. The only thing that stopped him was the cold knowledge that he had no chance of helping Akane if he got lost. His body trembled with suppressed rage, but he stayed.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Ukyou Kuonji, I would date with thee."

The street was empty except for the three students from Furinkan High.

"Better interrupt this backstabber now, Ucchan, or we're gonna have to listen to the blowhard for another half hour. Hey, wait a minute." Ranma glared at Kuno. "You're already harassing Akane and the pigtailed girl. Now you're going after Ucchan." He practically growled the final words and assumed a combat stance.

Kuno stared down his nose at the shorter boy. It was much warmer than the day before, but the temperature seemed to plummet as they glared at each other. The only voice was the whisper of the wind, but stillness never lasted when Tatewaki Kuno was present and conscious.

"Witless cretin, full well have you taught me that the pigtailed one's beauty is but vain and empty deceit." With practiced motion, Kuno drew a katana from its sheath. Ukyou stopped breathing as the metal blade caught the morning light. Her fiancé shifted slightly, obviously wary of attack.

"That blow was one of righteous vengeance, full and fitting punishment for your vile and unnatural deceptions," Kuno continued. "As for the girls Akane Tendo and Ukyou Kuonji, you know less than nothing of poetry or romance, else you would not need to compel them to your will with your wretched sorceries. Nor have you the heart to comprehend that a love so boundless as mine is far too great to be shared with but a single girl. Remove thy unpleasant, unworthy and deceitful self from our presence, ere I be forced to practice mine art upon thy..."

The speech was punctuated by a battle spatula clanging against the upperclassman's head. The unsheathed katana clattered against the pavement.

"Don't you dare talk that way about Ranchan, you jerk!"

Ranma still stood tensed and wary. His fiancée turned back towards Kuno. As the older boy stooped to retrieve his sword, Ukyou recalled one of the events of the previous night. While she hovered above her fiancé's prone form, he'd brought his hand to his chest and she'd noticed the faint scar, the last remnant of the horrible wound that nearly stole the boy she loved from her. He'd gotten the wound after he left to fight Kuno.

The upperclassman was beginning to straighten up when the spatula clanged a second time. "That was most painful, fair one..." A third clang brought no response.

"You...you...you..." she couldn't find the right word to express her anger and disgust. "You tried to okillo my Ranchan!"

Rage faded to embarrassment in the following silence. Ukyou glanced at her fiancé. "My Ranchan?" she repeated hesitantly, winced, and closed her eyes. Maybe by naming the dream she'd destroy it; maybe he'd disappear from her life again. She opened her eyes, but the mirage was still visible.

He smiled nervously and held out his hand towards her. She stretched her fingers, barely brushing his and confirming his reality, but something was wrong. Her eyelids seemed to be made of lead, her arms of something heavier. Ukyou stumbled a half-step forward while trying to lift her arm again. She was swimming through concrete and couldn't reach him as she fell forward into unconsciousness.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"So if they find Shampoo they're supposed to kill her?" Kasumi shook her head, not wanting it to be true.

"The Amazon laws are usually arbitrary and seldom make sense to me. Perhaps that's because I'm a mere male." Tofu smiled, attempting to be reassuring.

"That's wrong. You can't just discard a person like that."

"But they live their whole lives that way." He explained what he knew of Amazon life as they walked towards the hospital. One remark made Kasumi halt in her tracks.

"Wait. She has to marry an outsider if he defeats her?"

"Didn't you know that?"

"I was there when the Book of Amazon Laws was read, but I'd always thought it was Shampoo trying to force an obligation on Ranma. But that's not what the law says, now that I think about it. Her laws put the obligation on Shampoo, not Ranma. She has to marry a stranger, just because their stupid laws say she has to. They actually demand that, regardless of her feelings? How can they do that?"

"It's somewhat like the old custom of arranged marriages, Kasumi. Besides, I think Shampoo is genuinely interested in Ranma. When she worked for me, she talked about him constantly."

The Tendo girl didn't reply. The Amazon laws didn't care any more about Shampoo's feelings than her father had cared about Ranma or Akane's feelings with the intended joining of the Tendo and Saotome lines. Neither he nor Genma cared about anybody's feelings and Kasumi didn't feel comfortable with her part in it, either. It had been easy to pass the burden down to Akane, but it wasn't right. Her little sister had the least patience of anyone in the family and anyone who married Ranma was going to need patience in heaping doses. His upbringing left him brutally honest and unintentionally cruel in his speech. He was capable of politeness and compliments, he'd improved a lot since he came to live with them, but the boy still didn't realize some wounds he inflicted with his words were worse than any he could cause with his hands.

Seeing his companion wrapped in her thoughts, Tofu fell silent. He hoped she'd share her concerns with him, but it hadn't happened by the time they reached the hospital.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Konatsu was finally conscious and Shampoo had taken over the responsibility of feeding the injured boy. The hospital staff protested, but they faced someone far more determined than they were.

"Thank you, this is delicious," the boy crowed.

"It's hospital food, Airen. It tastes awful." Shampoo suspected Konatsu had no functional taste buds. For a moment, she considered trying to hitch the ninja up with Akane. The pairing did seem appropriate, but there was no honor in arranging it. That thought wouldn't have stopped her before, but she felt strangely reluctant now.

"No, really, Lady Shampoo. It's wonderful compared to what my family fed me."

The Chinese girl remained skeptical, until the boy told her of his upbringing. Konatsu honestly thought that a cardboard box for a roof and crumpled newspapers for blankets were luxurious. He thought substandard wages were generous, because he was made to work for free before. Yet somehow, the boy had remained cheerful though the poverty.

"That's all Ukyou pays you?" Anger was obvious in Shampoo's tone.

"Yes, wasn't that generous of her?"

"No one could afford to live on that pitiful amount! How can you pay for food or clothes or rent?"

"I don't understand. What's rent, Shampoo?"

"It's what you pay so you can stay somewhere."

"Lady Ukyou never charges me to stay at her restaurant. She doesn't charge you, does she?"

"What about food?" Shampoo deflected the question.

"Lady Ukyou never charges me for food, either."

"And she doesn't charge me," the Amazon grudgingly admitted. "Hmph, maybe Ukyou is not quite so cheap as I thought. It's still not much money, Airen. You could make a lot more somewhere else."

"I can't leave her. She needs me. At least she used to."

"She ran that restaurant for months before you showed up. What do you mean she needed you?"

"She was lonely. She needed a friend." Konatsu turned his face towards the wall. "I understood, because that's how I was, how I am. The face I wore, the cheerful person I pretended to be, was a mask and I saw that's how she was, too." Konatsu made a faint noise, perhaps a sob. "She was so much like me and I thought we could be friends. I thought we could be more than friends." This time the sob was not so faint. "But...but she loves Ranma and all I ever could be was her friend."

He turned back towards Shampoo. The boy's eyes were moist, but there was a firmness in them as well. "I will be her friend. I'll try to help her win him. I only wish I knew how."

The Chinese girl stared at the floor.

"I don't think I'm very good at that either, Airen, but I'll try to help you. I promise." She meant it. Konatsu had been the only person willing to trust her word before. "But it may be difficult. You made me promise not to use potions or magic on either of them. That eliminates several good ways of bringing them together."

"Did it ever work for you?"

Her silence was answer enough.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"See, Airen. Door is not locked." It was before Ran-Ran went to work on it, but Ryouga didn't need to know that.

"No cry now, Airen. We talk to Spatula Witch and find way to rescue Sister Lin-Lin..." Ran-Ran gritted her teeth before finishing, "...and Stupid Violent Girl."

A quick search showed no one was in the restaurant. Ranma and Ukyou had left several minutes before Ryouga and Ran-Ran reached the shop.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Ranma had begun the day at Dr. Tofu's. Later, he'd passed by briefly to drop off his school satchel, before going over to Ukyou's. This visit was much more urgent.

"Doc! C'mon, where are you, Doc? You gotta help Ucchan!"

The silent empty house absorbed his words.

"C'mon, Doc, please." Continued silence confirmed that he would get no response so he gently laid Ukyou's unconscious form on the examination table. Ranma forced himself to assume the icy calmness that he needed when he used the Hiryu Shouten Ha. He checked his fiancée's pulse. It was steady, if a little slow. He unzipped her jacket. Her breathing seemed steady as well. If it weren't for the way she'd passed out, he would have thought the girl was asleep.

He also noticed the strange blue and white crystal pendant lying between her breasts. It matched nicely with the blue shirt she'd borrowed from him, but he wasn't concerned about fashion. Gingerly, he removed the stone. As it spun on the cord strung through it, Ranma considered.

_Maybe this is the problem._

He swung the stone on the end of its cord, preparing to smash it against the floor when a voice whispered, "No."

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Mousse?" Ran-Ran's voice was hesitant. No one replied. Something felt eerie about the Neko Hanten, but she lacked the training to know what it was.

"You sit here, Airen." She gestured Ryouga towards an empty chair. No emotion crossed his face as he followed the girl's direction. If she'd known the boy better, the Amazon girl would have understood something was very wrong with him.

"You stay here, Airen. Ran-Ran go find Mousse."

The boy didn't even nod; he only slumped in his chair. His face looked gray and his eyes seemed hollow and lifeless as those of a poorly made doll. Ran-Ran shivered, but she went in search of Mousse.

By the time she returned, Ryouga was gone.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Shampoo, we need to talk." Tofu summarized the few facts Ryouga and Ran-Ran had told them about the Mamono. Kasumi and Konatsu were clearly worried, but the Chinese girl listened impassively.

_They want my help to rescue a rival and an Amazon warrior who should have been strong enough to protect herself. No, that's the old way of thinking. I need to change. Besides, it feels good to be needed by someone._

"Ukyou mentioned the first two Mamonos while I was at her restaurant. Aijou, that name means sorrow, and Haradachi, which means anger. Those are two of the five passions listed in tradition, so these creatures are probably mystically linked to the passions in some way. The others would be Kietsu - joy, Ikari - hatred, and Yokkyuu - desire. I haven't heard anything about the Mamono that attacked at Furinkan High yesterday."

"It was Ikari - hatred." Konatsu's voice was firm, his eyes were determined. He had literally felt it in his blood. No one questioned the boy's statement.

"That leaves Kietsu and Yokkyuu."

Kasumi spoke for the first time. "I can't imagine a Mamono whose powers were based on joy."

"Then this must be Yokkyuu, the Mamono of desire," Shampoo concluded.

She was wrong. There was another passion besides the five accepted by tradition. An emotion that was supposed to have no part of a warrior's life. The one feeling that it would be shameful to admit to - Fear - and that was what Shinrou's name meant.

"There's another problem," Tofu stated, "One that's my fault."

"What problem?" the Chinese girl replied.

"I'm an idiot." Tofu almost cursed the words. "I sent Ran-Ran to Ukyou's restaurant to see if she could help. If she finds any hint you're living there..."

"Yes, she and Lin-Lin are strict about enforcing the Amazon laws." Shampoo had fought them before and lost even at the peak of her skill.

"Don't worry," Kasumi used her practiced reassuring smile, "she probably won't notice anything."

Tofu's expression remained serious. "I don't want to take any chances when it comes to someone's life. That kind of mistake can't be repaired."

"Shampoo, you could stay at our house," Kasumi volunteered, "It's been quiet lately and some company would be nice."

The Amazon looked closely at the Tendo girl. She hadn't really paid attention to Kasumi before, merely dismissed the older girl as no threat physically or romantically. Now she saw a different kind of strength in Kasumi's eyes, a desire to help others linked to a spirit of self-sacrifice. Strength came from the heart and the soul and now the Amazon saw that Kasumi was probably one of the strongest people she knew.

"Thank you." The words came hard to the proud Amazon girl. "Thank you, but I should be safe at Ukyou's." She glanced over at Konatsu and her subconscious hinted that there might be another reason she wanted to stay at the restaurant. "Ukyou and Konatsu are skilled warriors, but you are not. Lin-Lin and Ran-Ran would expect you to be able to fight and I don't want you to get hurt for my sake. Elder Cologne knows better, but she could probably find me there anyway. She found me yesterday."

Konatsu became the center of attention by fainting.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Why should I trust you?"

"I can't think of any reason, Ranma." Gosunkugi slumped to his knees and leaned against the wall. The bags under his eyes were more prominent than usual. The skinny boy shivered. He hadn't slept or gone home the night before and even though he wore a coat, it had been a cold night.

"You look awful." The pigtailed boy was not known for his diplomacy.

"I always look awful. You might have noticed girls don't fight to be near me." The sarcasm was thick enough even Ranma recognized it. "But this isn't about me, this is about Ukyou. Do you know what you're holding?

Ranma lifted his hand and re-examined the blue and white pendant. The stone was shaped like the symbol on the chest of Ukyou's Mamono Hunter dress, a strange stylized ying-yang. Slowly, it turned on the end of the cord and Ranma stared at it closely.

"Nope, I don't know what it is," he shrugged, "but Ucchan was fine before she put it on. Now she's like this." He gestured sharply towards the unconscious girl.

"It's called Shimi-Seki."

"Shimi-what?"

"Shimi-Seki. It's a crystal that helps focus and amplify magical abilities. Most crystals don't, in spite of what some people believe."

"So what has this Shimi-whatsis gotta do with Ucchan?"

"When she opened that packet she got from her grandmother, the day Aijou appeared, it fell out but neither she nor you noticed it." Gosunkugi gave a faint half-smile. "So it was a lot like me. Still, I should have returned it before today."

"But you wanted power."

Gosunkugi nodded. "It didn't do me any good. You need to have power before the stone can amplify it, because it draws power from the person wearing it. Not much, but you have to have some magical power for it to work. I don't."

"So why did this happen to Ucchan?" Ranma glanced warily at the stone, then placed his hand on the edge of the examination table. He looked down at his fiancée, trying to will her eyes to open.

"She may have used too much power and just hasn't recovered yet," Gosunkugi continued, "Did she cast many spells recently?"

Ranma nodded glumly. She'd healed him, healed Ryouga, healed dozens of others and she'd used her powers to break Ikari's grip on so many. In the end, she was too tired to stand without help.

"Ukyou should be alright if she gets some rest. You better hang onto the stone for her, Ranma. I think she'll need it later, otherwise her grandmother wouldn't have sent it."

Gosunkugi stood wearily and shuffled towards the door. He paused in the doorframe and stared towards his feet.

"When she wakes up, tell her I'm sorry, will you. She'll probably hate me, but I am sorry."

"Ucchan ain't that way. She'll forgive you. She always forgives me, even when I do dumb stuff or hurt her."

Gosunkugi's voice remained quiet. "I should hate you, Ranma, but I'm tired of hating. You've got looks and strength and a girl that forgives you and I haven't got any of that."

"You'll find a girl." The pigtailed boy hoped he wasn't lying. It was the only thing the skinny would-be sorcerer listed that he had any hope of finding.

"I guess I found one," he replied, "but she doesn't really count. Kogane is a ghost. What am I supposed to do about that?"

Ranma had no reply, only a final question. "Anything I can do to help Ucchan wake up faster?"

"Make sure she isn't touching anything magical."

"Got it." Ranma placed the pendant on the counter and tugged the Yoma ring off of Ukyou's hand. "Anything else?"

"I believe the traditional method is to wake her with a kiss." Gosunkugi shambled away, his smirk unseen by the pigtailed boy. The skinny boy wondered if the martial artist would be dim enough to believe that part.

Ranma hesitated. He wanted to help his fiancée, but kissing her when she was unconscious didn't seem right. It felt too much like the times Kodachi inflicted her paralysis gas on him and then tried to get a kiss before he recovered.

_On the other hand, Gosunkugi said it was the best way to wake her up and he knows a lot more about this magic stuff than I do._

While the boy hesitated, the decision was taken away from him. Ukyou blinked and tried to sit up, but gave it up as a bad idea.

"What happened, Ranchan? Where's my Yoma ring?" She'd worn it so much the last few weeks, it almost seemed as much a part of her as her battle spatula.

"You're awake! You're okay!" The boy looked like he was about to go into some sort of victory dance.

"Ranchan?"

"Right, right, sorry." He repeated what Gosunkugi had told him.

His fiancée nodded and thought for a minute. "So it's kinda like running water into a sink while the drain is open."

"I guess so, Ucchan. But when you have both magic things powered up, it's like you got two drains. The sink is never gonna get full, right."

The girl nodded. She tried sitting up again. She probably could have made it without Ranma's arm around her, but she didn't push him away, either.

"While you were showering, I read some of the stuff my grandma emailed me, but I was too tired to really think about it. The pendant doesn't require much power, but it's always active. The Yoma ring only uses power when I transform into the Mamono Hunter outfit, but it uses lot. Otherwise, we'd just run around in those red Chinese dresses all the time."

"How much energy can it take to swap clothes, Ucchan?"

"It's not just while I change, it uses energy the whole time I'm changed. And the ring does a lot more than switch my clothing for the red dress, it also increases my abilities, provides magical defenses, and lets me cast spells. Those all take a lot of energy and..."

"And what?"

"...and I left the thing still active all night. No wonder I'm exhausted." Ukyou didn't know that mistake was the reason she and then Ranma were shielded from the Mamono the night before. Because the warding had been subconscious, it was unfocused and that required even more energy.

"Please, hand me the ring." She was too drained to even fantasize about her fiancé handing her an engagement or wedding ring.

He reluctantly passed the Yoma ring to her and watched cautiously as she gestured the spell needed to drop the uniform back into its pocket dimension. She hoped it would work even though she wasn't wearing the dress, or more precisely its remains. She might end up clothed in the things she wore the previous day or nothing at all.

There was a blinding flash of light. Neither Ukyou nor Ranma saw it.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Tofu put the phone down. "Ran-Ran says Ryouga is missing."

"He does have a very bad sense of direction," Kasumi contributed.

"The girl seems rather nervous," the doctor added.

"Ran-Ran is an Amazon warrior. She would not get..." Shampoo didn't finish as Dr. Tofu interrupted.

"And how old is Ran-Ran?"

"She is fourteen. Three years younger than I am." She'd been in Nerima just over a year, though sometimes it seemed a lot longer than that.

"There's nothing wrong with her being nervous," Tofu replied, "and it doesn't make her less of a warrior. She's young and sometimes fear is what keeps you alive in a dangerous situation."

But fear could also kill you.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"I am no inmate of this establishment, you thick-witted clot-brained oafs. I merely seek the room wherein my sister, the so-called Black Rose, is currently reposing."

"Put down the sword, ninja-boy and we'll talk." The attendants tried to hide the straightjacket, but even Kuno wasn't that oblivious.

"I am Tatewaki Kuno, aged eighteen, the Blue Thunder of Furinkan High. Even a witless fool such as Ranma Saotome could tell you I am a bold and honorable samurai, not a vile and cowardly ninja. Enough of your slanders and get ye hence." He glared at the attendants, but they didn't back down. "I said begone, you worthless miscreants."

"Put down the sword, kid. I promise we won't hurt you."

"I think I shall retain it, for in that way I need not presume upon your word or the word of your associate behind me, the skulking varlet who carries the hypodermic needle full of who knows what vile substance."

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Nothing happened, Ucchan."

"I'm not being drained by the ring anymore, though, I can feel that."

"So what happened to the stuff you were wearing yesterday?"

Ukyou shrugged. She didn't know that in the clothes hamper in the other room, her Mamono Hunter dress had disappeared and been replaced by the clothing Ranma had mentioned.

"Could you hold the pendant a little longer, Ranchan?" She smiled.

"Sure." He slipped the cord over his head and smiled back.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

The darkness clung to her like tar. She couldn't see or hear anything. She couldn't even tell if she was still breathing. There was a rushing noise in her ears, like the babble of the sea. Akane tried to stretch forward, to touch something, but all she felt was the darkness.

She was alone. Totally, utterly alone.

_No one can find me. No one wants to._

Images filled her mind, phantoms created to try to fill the blackness. Ranma and Ukyou were together and he didn't want or need Akane. Tofu faded away from her as well, captivated by her older sister even though Kasumi never seemed to try to get a reaction from the Doctor. She visualized Ryouga with Akari and knew that the gentle girl accepted both of the boy's curses.

_She'd probably even forgive him for what we did at Ryugenzawa._

New images appeared in her mind of the ones she'd lost to death - her mother, her sister, Shinnosuke.

_He probably died hating me._

A feeble part of her soul, something called hope, whispered that the boy might still live.

_Even if he's alive, why would he want me? I took him for granted. I took them all for granted, until they were all gone._

The visions faded from Akane's mind as she stopped struggling.

_Why should I even try? Nobody needs me. They'd be fine without me._

There was a comfort of familiarity in ceasing her struggles and all she really wanted was peace. There was even a comfort in being alone. She'd never really tried to get Tofu's attention. She'd pretended Ryouga's actions were only meant as friendship until she'd almost fooled herself. She'd pounded and insulted Ranma to stop him from getting too close. She'd almost fled from Shinnosuke's words of love and only her sense of obligation to the boy stopped her from bolting immediately.

If she let any of them close she could be betrayed again, just like she was by the first man she ever loved. It was the simple pure love of a child for a parent but that only made it worse when her father betrayed those feelings.

Soun refused to let go of the loss of his wife and the fact that his daughter still cared about him didn't seem to matter. Akane did everything she could to try to please him, trying to break through the crust of indifference to the father she remembered. She tried desperately and unsuccessfully to balance being the perfect homemaker with being the perfect heir to the dojo. Her father hadn't cared about the first and mocked her effort at the second.

_No, never in words, he wouldn't do that. He just handed over me and that stupid dojo like some stupid prizes to give to that stupid jerk Ranma. He never cared about what I wanted; he never trusted me to carry anything on. I was just some silly, stupid little child pretending to be a martial artist. Daddy just waited until a real one came along and handed my whole life over to a stranger._

There was silence in the darkness, even Akane's thoughts were silent. She finally realized who she really hated with every angry word she inflicted on Ranma, with every kick or punch she rained on the boy who refused to defend himself against her.

That frightened her more than anything else.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

In the Mamono Hunter Yohko series, Yohko had a pair of pale blue Shimi-seki hair ornaments that worked to amplify her magic powers, as described here for Ukyou's pendant. Though they could be overloaded and destroyed.


	11. Shinrou Part 4

Mamono Hunter Ukyou

Shinrou: Shadow of Fear

Part 4

By Edward A. Simons

Based on characters and situations created by Takahashi Rumiko. Ranma 1/2 and characters copyright Shogakukan, Kitty Animation Circle, and Takahashi Rumiko. Devil Hunter Yohko and characters copyright NCS, Toho Company, LTD., and Mad House. This story revised 2005 by Edward Simons.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

In the silence of the night

How we shiver with affright

At the melancholy menace of their tone!

For every sound that floats

From the rust within their throats,

Is a groan:

Edgar Allen Poe, "The Bells"

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Kasumi stared out the rain-spattered window. The gathering storm and falling temperature meant it would soon turn to sleet, and that meant the streets would soon be too icy to travel safely. Tears meandered down the girl's cheeks, a slow reflection of the plunging rain. Her strength had faded like the pale beams of the failing sun, buried behind the gathered clouds.

Tofu put his arm around her, and she leaned against him.

"I called Hinako and got Miyo's phone number," he said. "From what little I found, she claims to be psychic, with the ability to predict the future. Unfortunately, I don't see how that will help with banishing Mamonos. Still, you shouldn't worry, I'm sure we'll find Ukyou and save your sister."

"Will we?" Kasumi whispered. "Miyo can't help...Cologne is gone...none of the other Amazons know anything helpful...and the monster got Gosunkugi. What makes you think it hasn't gotten Ukyou, too?"

"I..." He paused, searching for words. "Your sister is going to be alright, you have to believe it."

He prayed he wasn't lying to Kasumi. His words were almost exactly what Miyo had told him over the phone. The self-proclaimed psychic had claimed that they would find Akane and that Ukyou would defeat the Mamono. Tofu couldn't see the future, but he could see some things.

"You didn't get much sleep last night, did you, Kasumi?"

She nodded faintly.

"Let's get you to bed, then. I'm sure the hospital has a spare after sending all the Furinkan students home and you need the rest. You deserve it." Tofu ignored the girl's murmured protests and led her away from the window.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Ranma hesitated, unwilling to knock on the door. His hand was outstretched, but he paused, sensing the distance between himself and the woman on the other side of the door. For a few moments, he was as frozen as the sleet pelting from the afternoon sky.

"Ranchan?

His fiancée was clearly nervous, too. He took a deep breath and his hand arced forward, rapping sharply on the wood. He was sure he could hear it echo inside. The house sounded empty. He rapped a second time, hearing a second hollow echo.

_Mom spent ten years, no, more than that, in an empty house._

The door opened before Ranma could dwell on those thoughts. Nodoka stared in wonder at a pair of damp teenage girls.

"Son?" It had to be a dream. She had so few chances to see her only child.

"Hi, Mom," he replied. "I'm real glad you're home. Can me and Ucchan come in and stay for a bit? It's getting kinda wet out here."

She pulled him into a hug, nearly squeezing Ranma's breath away, then yanked him inside.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

She fell through the darkness, plunging into the void. She expected to hear the wind rushing by, to feel it tug at her tattered clothing, but she felt nothing, she heard nothing, she saw nothing.

_So, this is what death feels like. It doesn't feel like anything at all._

She wanted to be brave, to pretend she had courage even in the face of the final enemy, but she didn't. Life was cruel and arbitrary; even the best and bravest could be brought low in a moment, going from triumph to a cold and ignominious end. And that end was always faced alone; without friends, allies, or family. No one could reach her and pull her back. No one could help her in the hopeless battle against the final enemy.

The girl's soul plunged downwards into the depths. A heaviness pressed against her spirit, threatening to crush the essential spark that was her, and she didn't have the strength to resist it.

If her sister had been there to share her strength, it might have ended differently, but Lin-Lin was alone.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

_This isn't a bedroom; it's a monument._

It felt like a moment frozen in time, like nothing in the room had changed in all the years that Ranma had been gone. The pictures on the wall and the cheerily painted toy chest in the corner were relics of those days. The few books on the shelf were children's books.

Ukyou kicked off her shoes and tugged off the sodden blue Chinese shirt. The air was cold on her exposed torso.

_Great, I was too exhausted to think of putting on my breast bindings when we went by my place. Good thing Ranchan didn't notice, who knows what he'd think of me. Not that there's that much to notice anyway. At least I remembered to grab a pair of panties._

She shucked the borrowed black slacks as well and stood shivering. Cautiously, she opened the closet door, half expecting to see children's garments hanging there. The very normalcy of its contents seemed strange. Everything looked like it was Ranma's size, though the closet held a wider variety of clothing than her fiancé normally wore. There were a lot of the colorful Chinese shirts and corresponding slacks, many in shades her fiancé had never worn. There were martial arts uniforms, from several functional gis to an elaborate kendo outfit. There was traditional Japanese clothing from simple white yukatas, the short robe she favored for sleepwear, to fine kimonos appropriate for even formal ceremonies. There was western garb as well; athletic wear, casual shirts and jeans, and even a tuxedo.

_Ranchan would look really sharp in that._

Unsurprisingly, there was no matching white gown, nor any female clothing at all. Ukyou shivered and hoped no one would burst in before she found some clothes.

_Well, I wouldn't mind if Ranchan did._

She selected a lavender shirt and a pair of gray slacks and tugged them on.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Akane!"

The monster had showed him his fears, wrapped and ensnared him in them. He'd seen the cook pot, struggled frantically and uselessly, as he'd plunged into the seething cauldron while hungry grinning faces had smiled.

He'd seen Akane with Ranma, with Shinnouke, seen her smiling and happy with a man who could always be there for her, who was always strong enough to protect her; not a lost helpless little pig.

The Mamono had shown him her icy form, still clad in her skating dress, floating facedown in the water. He'd seen his chi-infused belt slice more than hair, seen spurting blood as a headless body collapsed. He'd heard her final scream, heard the snap of the Orochi's jaws, endured the hideous chewing noises that followed. He'd seen her hurled from the chi-fueled whirlwind, heard the heavy smack of flesh striking the fence around the athletic field, heard it drop heavily to the ground, never to rise again.

But now those visions were past, now the monster had pulled him into the shadows. He called her name again, but he couldn't hear his own scream. He couldn't hear or feel anything and all he saw was darkness. He tried to reach the girl he loved, but all he could do was thrash helplessly and blindly in the dark. He'd been helpless before, but never this helpless. He'd spent most of his life being lost, but he'd never felt as lost as he was now.

_I'm Akane's only hope, and that's no hope at all._

But he had to try. Stubbornly, uselessly, Ryouga struggled against the enfolding web of fears, against the sightless horror that hungered to devour him. He didn't care about that; he cared about the one he was too weak, too helpless to save.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"What are we going to do now?" Soun whimpered.

"Wait. What else can we do?" proclaimed a sign held by a panda that wasn't really a panda. Genma was much more concerned about his missing breakfast and if Kasumi didn't return soon his missing and rather belated lunch.

He stared out at the koi pond, glad for his fur coat. The rain had started at noonday and rapidly turned to sleet and then snow as the temperature plunged sharply. The trees and electrical wires were coated in a crystal web of ice and the still falling snow blanketed house and yard in white. The beauty would have taken most people's breath away, but Genma had slightly less poetry and romance in his soul than a dirt clod did.

_Obviously, this weather's taken down the phone lines wherever Kasumi and Akane are and they aren't stupid enough to try to travel in it._ He glanced briefly at Soun. _If he's really that worried, he should do something himself. Maybe it's because the boy isn't around to browbeat into doing something for him._

_Just what's with Tendo anyway? I worked my tail off for ten years training the boy. In fact, I spend more time training Ranma in any morning's sparring than Soun's spent with all three of his kids the whole time I've been here. Why did he teach only one of them? Why did he stop? What happened to our promise of uniting the schools when there is no Tendo School?_

The panda made a grumbling noise.

_The Hibiki boy's done more to carry on the Tendo School than Soun's ever managed. He actually tried to train Akane in Martial Arts Rhythmic Gymnastics. Even though my boy still did most of the work, Ryouga actually got the girl to where she was useful in the rematch against Natsume and Kurumi. It's too bad those two can't carry on the Tendo legacy. They're real martial artists, the type who'd make any father proud._

_But even that didn't get Soun to train his daughter. He just expected my son to do all the work again. Maybe she realizes it; maybe that's why she quit trying. Or maybe she never really wanted to be a martial artist in the first place._

_She faced up to the Dojo Destroyer, but she had to be talked into the Rhythmic Gymnastics and Martial Arts Takeout competitions. She went on the Hot Springs Race, but from what Ranma told me, Akane was just along for the ride. Everyone else, including his other fiancées, was eager to fight._

It was easy to get his son to talk about his victories, a chance to assess his progress and skill.

_Or the time Pantyhose Tarou kidnapped Akane. Everyone else - Mousse, Ryouga, Shampoo, and my boy - was willing to go toe to toe with Tarou's monstrous cursed form. But Akane, the only one who could have still fought just as well if she'd been splashed, hung back out of harm's way even when she wasn't being a hostage. Not that grabbing kettles wasn't useful, but she got so focused on that she ran right off a cliff._

_Didn't Tendo teach his daughter anything about combat?_

The panda made a deep sighing noise.

_Apparently not. It's sure not the only time she nearly got herself hurt by paying attention to one thing and ignoring the rest of the battle. My boy took the hits for her against Kurumi and Natsume. When Ryouga's bandanas were flying, even the students with no martial arts training knew to dodge or seek cover. Akane's lucky she didn't lose a lot more than her hair. Or the Weakness Moxibustion disaster, she didn't pay attention there, either, and almost got Ranma's last chance at a cure destroyed._

The panda growled.

_Her heart was in the right place, but still..._

Genma sighed again. _Well, Tendo may have failed to keep up his school, but at least he's got the dojo and the house to cover his side of the engagement. That's better than nothing. Though the only reason he even has the dojo is my boy won it back from the Gambler King for him._

_That's another time my son saved things for Tendo while all Akane did was watch._

Genma looked back out at the storm. _He's been gone too long, though. I know he can take care of himself, but how long is he going to sulk at his mother's place? He should be here, with the fiancée that really matters._

The panda growled grumpily and shambled back towards the refrigerator, vainly hoping that the hundred and fourth examination would cause the appearance of something he could devour.

_The boy's definitely been gone too long. I'm going to have to act soon and I can't count on Soun any more than his kids can._

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

After providing a kettle of hot water for Ranma, Nodoka bustled around the kitchen, preparing a late lunch for her son and his companion.

"You know, you really should go peep at her while she's changing, son."

"Umm." There was a hint of color in the boy's cheeks.

"Not that you aren't manly, but it never hurts to be more manly."

"Ranchan's plenty manly," the girl called as she entered the kitchen. The borrowed shirt and slacks clung to her still-damp form in interesting ways, and now there was more than a hint of color in Ranma's cheeks. Ukyou slumped in a chair opposite him and smiled wearily.

"Something wrong, Ranchan?"

"Gah," he spluttered. "I wasn't looking, really I wasn't."

"See, I knew you were manly," his mother stated.

Ukyou blinked in surprise. "Of course he's manly," she insisted, "but what does his not looking at something have to do with that?"

Nodoka stared at the girl for a moment, stunned at how she could have missed that. "I apologize. If I'd known you didn't have a bra, I'd have offered to loan you one."

"It's okay," the girl replied, barely suppressing a yawn. "I haven't had any clothes at all since, um, last night, except for what Ranchan let me borrow." She frowned in puzzlement. Her fiancé was spluttering helplessly and looked like he was suppressing a coronary, while his mother seemed to be dancing about waving victory fans.

"Are you okay, Ranchan?"

"Um...uh...um...uh..."

"Oh, and thanks for everything," the girl added.

Her fiancé made a brief strangling noise.

"Ranchan? Just what's wrong?"

"Nothing," he squeaked, "I gotta go change now."

"Hurry, then," Nodoka stated. "We'll be eating shortly."

Red-faced, Ranma nodded and retreated down the hallway.

"Thank you for saying my son is manly."

"Um, sure," the girl replied wearily. "I'm not sure I could handle it if he was any more manly." She tried and failed to suppress a yawn.

Nodoka started another victory dance, but stopped when her son returned, clad in a dry set of garments. He still looked like he'd been hit a few too many times with a battle spatula and seemed to have lost all power of speech. By the end of the meal, it still hadn't returned, though he'd devoured the food enthusiastically, just like his mother remembered. She was so eager to learn more about this near-stranger who was her son, but she willed herself to wait until he finished the meal.

Soon the boy was bombarded by questions about his life on the road. It was quite a while before she really noticed the girl with him again. She appeared nervous and Nodoka realized the girl hadn't spoken since the beginning of the meal, either.

"So, where did you meet my son, dear?"

"Kansai." That was obvious from the girl's accent. "Dad and I ran an okonomiyaki cart."

"It was real soon after me and Pops left here," Ranma chimed in.

From there the pair's words developed their own momentum, disintegrating the awkward silence. Stories, events, and impressions came rushing out of them, a jumbled tale of childhood adventure. Smiles and laughter told Nodoka of the carefree pleasure of those simpler times. She smiled in sympathy and ignored the threat of tears in her eyes.

"Are you alright, Mrs. Saotome?"

She smiled, "I'm fine, dear," denying the ache in her soul. All these precious moments of her son growing up were lost to her forever. She'd given them all up for the sake of the Saotome family heritage, for the school of Anything Goes Martial Arts and she would never retrieve a single one.

"You're a lot like Ranchan." The girl's words broke into her thoughts.

Nodoka blinked in confusion.

"He doesn't like people to know when he's hurting either." Ukyou had spent years hiding her own pains; sometimes she was good at noticing other people doing the same thing. Nodoka almost scolded the girl for being rude, but long years of loneliness left her aching for the chance to experience her son's life, if only through the memories of others.

"You're fortunate, dear. You got to see my little boy grow up."

Her son blushed at his mother's words and Ukyou was quiet for a moment.

"He's not a little boy anymore, Mrs. Saotome."

"I know, dear. He's a handsome young man and I hope he gives me grandchildren soon."

Both teens blushed and the girl tried to change the subject. "I didn't get much time with Ranchan, either, Mrs. Saotome. Before I knew it he and his father were gone."

"Pops decided we oughta move on."

Nodoka sensed something deeper in her son's statement. Ukyou's eyes were downcast and Ranma looked embarrassed, but neither seemed eager to explain.

"Son, what happened?"

The boy wriggled on the hook, trying to think of a way to avoid answering. Ukyou attempted to rescue him. "My dad arranged a marriage for me." She smiled in remembrance. "He and the boy's father worked it out. Our okonomiyaki cart was the dowry."

"You loved the boy." It wasn't a question.

"I still do."

Nodoka's eyes drilled into the girl, probing for the rest of the truth, but her son spoke next.

"Ucchan's dad told her about the whole thing, but the other guy didn't tell his kid. He just grabbed me and the okonomiyaki cart and took off."

The silence seemed to last for a few eternities as Nodoka digested the information. She saw the way the girl reacted to her son and his final words gave her a clue to what they were hiding.

"Your father engaged you to Ukyou and he never told you?"

She knew the truth before anyone replied.

"Pops didn't say nothing about engaging me to Akane till we were minutes away from the Tendo place, either." He was tired of lying to his mother, tired of protecting his father. "Pops never told me nothing about Kaori, either. And if he hadn't been thinking with his stomach, Shampoo never woulda ended up thinking she's gotta marry me." The boy fell silent for a moment. "Well, it's mainly Pops fault. I suppose you could blame him for Lin-Lin and Ran-Ran, too. There's probably others I don't know about and I think I'm forgetting someone."

Of course, Nodoka wanted details. She got more than she expected.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Ran-Ran stared out the restaurant window into the darkness. The sun hadn't set, but the cloud-covered skies made it almost as dark as the night before. She'd never felt so alone.

_I miss sister Lin-Lin. I miss stupid Airen. I miss home._

The Neko Hanten was a familiar place, but it didn't feel that way anymore. The bustle of customers was a memory. The only other person in the building was Mousse. Ran-Ran knew he was upstairs somewhere, but there was a haunted look in his eyes like she'd seen in her sister Lin-Lin.

It felt better to be alone than near the boy. His magic always made her uncomfortable, but this was worse. Hairs seemed to rise along the back of her neck and arms and she felt a faint tingling in her spine. Ran-Ran rubbed her hands together nervously, trying to work away the disturbing sensation the place gave her.

There was a tearing noise and the whistle of the wind. Ran-Ran's heart tried to exit through her ribcage as she looked into the empty darkness. The rising wind had torn temporary patch over the hole Ryouga had smashed in the wall the night before. She told herself that she only shivered because of the cold. And she told herself that it must be only the wind as she tacked the tarp back into place.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Genma!" The name was a curse.

"Mom, please. It's alright."

"No, it is not! That idiot tried to engage you to a man. He tried to marry off my son to that Picollette Chardin." Nodoka growled the words as she began to suspect why her husband still lived at the Tendo home.

"Please, Mom. Pops didn't mean it that way. It was just to keep the guy from marrying one of the Tendo girls. We knew I was good enough at martial arts to get outta it."

"What does that matter? Soun Tendo promised one of his daughters to this Frenchman's son; yet he had no intention of keeping his word. Worse, Genma aided him in abandoning his solemn promise."

"Yeah, I kinda wish Pops and he'd done the same about the promise they made to each other. None of the Tendo girls seemed too happy about the whole thing, especially Akane, but she got stuck with it."

"That's not the point, son. If Soun Tendo were an honorable man, he would keep his promise to the Chardin family, regardless of the consequences. It seems neither he or my husband are honorable at all, keeping their solemn word only when they find it profitable."

Her son didn't have an answer for that.

Nodoka turned to Ukyou. "Your father told you."

The girl nodded, afraid to speak.

"And my husband accepted the dowry."

A second nod.

"You still want to marry my son."

"More than anything, Mrs. Saotome."

"What if you couldn't?"

The girl's eyes grew wide and pleading.

"Would you be willing to be his mistress, Ukyou?"

"Yes."

Nodoka blinked at how quickly and firmly the girl replied. "Ukyou dear, you need to think about it. It would be difficult. People would treat you..."

"Yes," the girl interrupted. "Yes. It's alright. I don't care." Tears began forming in the corners of her eyes. "If...if I could be with Ranchan, it would be alright." The girl bowed her head. "It would be alright," she repeated in a faint whisper. "Please...just please...let me have that much."

Ukyou's head snapped upwards when Ranma placed his hands on her shoulders. He looked down at her and tried to wish away her pain. "Listen, I don't wanna do nothing to hurt you. I done too much of that already."

"Ranchan, you big dummy, that would hurt less than not being with you at all." She pressed her face against his chest, no longer trying to hold back her tears. Ranma glared at his mother.

"Would you be willing to marry her, son?"

"I never really thought about it, Mom." He'd spent a lot of time trying not to think of any of the engagements. He still hadn't found a way to sort the whole mess out and all he got out of the exercise was another headache. "I mean, I guess I did some, but a cute girl like Ucchan could probably have any guy she wants."

"Son, I think it's obvious who she wants."

Ukyou looked yearningly up at him and nodded. He wanted to run, to tell his mother he wasn't old enough, that he wasn't ready for marriage. He looked deeply into his fiancée's eyes and remembered the silent promise he'd made the day before.

_I don't wanna hurt her no more._

"Yes." There was only a faint quaver in his voice. He was tired of running. "Yes, I'm willing, but I ain't ready yet."

"No one ever is," she replied. "Would you be willing to accept Ukyou as your mistress?"

"Why are you even asking something like that?" the boy asked, and there was an edge to his tone.

"Because I'm trying to salvage whatever shreds of family honor I can. There's only one of you; the promises should never have been made. But I can't just unmake the promises, either, that would be no more honorable than what that man or Mr. Tendo have done. The traditional way of atoning for the dishonor done to the Daikoku, Kuonji, and Tendo families would be for Genma and yourself to commit seppuku."

"No," Ukyou whispered hoarsely, "you can't ask Ranchan to do that."

Nodoka stared at the floor, unwilling to meet the girl's gaze. "No, I can't. I lost him before, I can't bear to lose him again."

She looked her son in the eyes and her voice was firm. "Would you be willing to accept Ukyou as you mistress?"

"Mom, that ain't gonna be fair to her."

"She knows that."

He felt a tightness in his chest and it wasn't because Ukyou was holding him too tightly. Just the fact she was holding him seemed to make it hard to breathe. He gave up the attempt at speech and nodded his reply. Only later did he wonder why this question was harder to answer than the first.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

She woke to the sound of squabbling. She hadn't expected that. Her thoughts were slow and fuzzy, and she had trouble focusing on the person framed in the doorway. He was tall and slender and wore the martial arts clothing like it was everyday wear. She knew who he was, if only she could just remember. Eventually the quarrel died and he approached the bed she lay in. She didn't remember coming to the hospital, but she knew she didn't being there. Too many bad things happened in hospitals. She'd lost a mother and a sister at places like this.

The girl opened her mouth to speak, but her throat was dry and her lips were parched. Still she managed to hiss a single word.

"You."

"Aye, sister, tis I, your older brother Tatewaki. It required a fair passage of time in order to persuade the beef-witted, clot-brained fools who claim to run this meager establishment and the pestilential oafs whom they employ that I possessed the full and proper legal documents to carry my blade. It is well for them that my superior intellect availed me to persuade them thus, or else they would needs have yielded to my unsurpassed martial prowess."

Kodachi groaned and tried to ignore her brother, something she'd attempted semi-successfully for years. All she needed to do was treat him like other people treated her. Like her parents had after her little sister Sagegami was born. Like Ranma had when he kissed Ukyou back on the ice so many empty eternities ago.

_No, that's a lie. He tried to ignore me long before that; I just didn't admit it until that day. I haven't felt warm since then._

She was thirsty, though. Kodachi glanced at the bedside table. The water pitcher was plastic, as was the cup.

_No doubt to keep me from trying again._

She resisted the urge to laugh.

Kodachi sipped at the water, waiting for her brother's words to grind to a halt. In spite of the drugs they'd given her, in spite of all their precautions, she'd already spotted four ways she could commit suicide.

_It's what Mother did when she lost her favorite child. Sagegami. Little Sageo-chan. It would be easy to hate my sister, but she was too nice for even me to hate. She wouldn't have wanted mother to do that. If only there was someone who cared that much, someone who couldn't bear to live without me._

She chuckled quietly. It was quite unlike her usual laughter, but it still wasn't very pleasant.

"You mock me." Tatewaki was not amused. He was so busy trying to be dignified he never allowed himself to be amused.

_No, I mock myself,_ was her unuttered reply.

"But hold, sister, I have news of great import. Tis a grievous thing to relate, but I have learned that in truth the pigtailed girl is no girl at all."

"What?"

"She is but a magical guise of that foul sorcerer, Ranma Saotome, an illusion made flesh, a vile and mocking deception."

"You really expect me to believe that."

"It is the very truth, sister. I know not what vile sorceries might have caused the transformation, but at last I see the truth about that fiend in human form. His lies, his deceptions, have at the last been laid bare..."

Kodachi ignored her brother babbling on, she was too busy thinking. _If what my idiot brother says is true, if such magic really exists, I've only given Ranma more reasons to hate me._

She glanced back at Tatewaki, who continued his rant against the other boy.

_Brother might be a fool, but never a liar. He believes this. I can't...I don't want to. I don't want to believe Ranma doesn't love me either, but that won't change the facts. I knew he didn't love me. I knew it, but I couldn't accept that, and now he hates me. He has to after everything I did._

Kodachi wiped away the moisture in her eyes. Her brother gestured dramatically to illustrate some point of his pointless speech and completely missed his sister's actions.

_I'm the only one who never had any chance._

She sighed, though the sound was lost in the noise of her brother's continued tirade. He rambled on for several minutes before he finally said something worthy of her attention.

"What was that, Brother?"

"I spoke of mine own true love, the bold and beauteous Ukyou Kuonji."

Kodachi blinked and then began to laugh. It lacked the edge of her usual laugh. It seemed strangely normal. She chuckled until her sides ached, amused at the absurdity of Tatewaki abandoning one hopeless love only to cling to another, then with a satisfied smile she curled up on the bed and went to sleep.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Mom, this is a really bad idea."

Nodoka had her coat on and clearly intended to find and confront Genma that very moment. It was barely after dark, though it already seemed darker than midnight, and ice-sheathed streets and sidewalks seemed slicker than the frozen surface of the canal, but all that was irrelevant to her.

"That man has fled from honor for long enough. It is time he paid the price for his greed and his cowardice and I refuse to let his lies shield him any longer. I trusted him. So did others. He betrayed them. He betrayed you. He...he betrayed me. He took my little boy away from me, and...and it was all a lie. All his promises were lies."

She wrapped her arms around Ranma, crushing him to herself as if he'd disappear from her life for another ten years.

"Mom, please. Pops may be a jerk, but didn't mean to cause this much trouble. It's just the way he is." His mother still hadn't grabbed her katana yet. He wasn't sure if she was so upset that she'd forgotten it or if this was actually a good sign. Regardless, his words didn't seem to be blunting his mother's rage. He looked over at Ukyou, hoping for advice or encouragement. His fiancée leaned wearily against the doorframe, struggling to keep her eyes open.

_She's had it pretty rough these last couple days._

"Mom, if you gotta do this, I'm going with you, but we gotta get Ucchan to bed first."

"M'fine," the girl mumbled. "Gonna stay 'wake. 'Ll go with y'guys. S'okay."

Nodoka hesitated. "Perhaps it would be best if you did rest, Ukyou dear."

"S'okay. I wanna go with Ranchan. Wanna be w'Ranchan. 'S'all I ever want'd." Ukyou almost stifled a yawn.

"He could stay with you, dear. Tonight, I mean."

"I'm not letting you go out alone on a night like this, Mom. It ain't safe." Something in his subconscious hinted that more than just the weather made this night dangerous.

Nodoka hesitated a second time. She frowned and then something gleamed in her eyes.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Before Ranma came to Nerima, Akane had been a fighter, but she'd never truly enjoyed it. Originally, she did it to please her father, to prove to him that she'd be able to carry on the dojo. The engagement proved that all of her time and effort meant nothing to Soun. After that she fought less and less. Her classmates persuaded her to fight Kodachi, but that was an exception.

She'd wasted too much of her life in pointless battles against clueless morons who wanted to date her and it accomplished nothing. The fools continued pursuing her and her father continued ignoring her abilities. Nothing was ever resolved. She was tired of fighting, her main reason had become a lie, but one thing could still get her to fight.

She always tried to protect those who couldn't protect themselves. That's why she'd faced the Orochi to save Shinnosuke. That's why she got so angry with Ranma when he picked on P-chan. That's why she tried to protect her fiancé when Happosai made him weak. She knew she wasn't the best or the strongest, but she still felt a sense of duty towards those weaker than herself. Like Ranma, she had absorbed the lesson from her father that he had usually ignored.

"It's a martial artist's duty to help others."

She knew there was someone that needed her help; someone that wouldn't survive without her strength; yet she couldn't even prove they existed.

_I know I've got a kid inside me. If I quit fighting, he'll die. I can't let that happen._

She was afraid of the child, of the consequences he'd bring to her life, but now she had someone to protect, someone who truly needed her. In so many ways she was still alone, but she had a reason to fight and she wasn't going to quit.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

_How did I let Mom talk me into this?_

He already knew the answer; he'd been so relieved his mom wasn't rushing off into a storm to carve his dad into panda steaks that he'd been very easy to persuade. His fiancée had been too exhausted to complain about Nodoka's plan.

_Ucchan probably woulda liked most of it anyways._

The teens were sharing not only Ranma's room, but also his futon. His fiancée had fallen asleep almost instantly, but he couldn't. His mother had provided Ukyou with sleepwear and the exhausted girl hadn't murmured a single protest.

The so-called nightgown looked like someone had begun painting crystallized crimson smoke across Ukyou's body, but been interrupted well before finishing the job. As soon as his mother had left the room, he'd grabbed the nearest shirt out of the closet and given it to Ukyou, but he couldn't erase the vision from his mind. As if the sleeping girl could sense his thoughts, she snuggled against his side and smiled.

Ranma stared back at the ceiling. He wouldn't be sleeping anytime soon.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

She woke with a start.

_Where? Oh, Ranchan's room._

Her arm lay across his chest; she felt it rise and fall with his breath, felt the steady beat of his heart. A feeble light glowed in the stones of her Yoma ring, glittering in the darkness like mocking crimson goblin eyes.

_Do I know how this thing works? Do I really understand it? Is it safe?_

She'd had a dream; no, a nightmare, and now she wondered if this weapon had two edges.

_I think he loves me, at least I hope he does. He said he was willing to marry me, even if he didn't say he would. Is that because he feels like I do... or is it just out of pity, or a sense of obligation?_

_Or **is** it because of this thing? I don't wanna be like Shampoo. I don't wanna use magic to make him love me._

_It sure isn't because of my looks; I'm too much of a tomboy for that. Besides, Ranchan isn't the type to make decisions with that part of his anatomy or else Shampoo or Kodachi could have carted him off long ago._ She considered her own figure. _It's not like I'm ever going to stack up against that._

_Ranchan's the only one who ever, ever called me cute, who made me feel cute. Kami-sama, please let that mean something. He said it before I ever heard of Mamono Hunters._

She stared at the Yoma ring.

_Or **is** it because of this thing? I don't wanna be like Shampoo. I don't wanna use magic to make him love me._

Ukyou sighed, and the sound was lost in the stillness of the night.

_But part of me does want him, regardless of how. I asked him to share the Umbrella of Love with me. And if I'd found the Red Thread of Fate instead of Shampoo, I'm not sure I wouldn't have tried it, too. I don't want to be like that, but I don't know if I'm strong enough to resist. I don't think the ring can be used that way._

But she was afraid of how the Yoma ring could be misused. Something darker than the night had planted the seed of that fear and if that seed bloomed she would discard the Yoma ring.

And then Shinrou would destroy her.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"No, I don't know what time it is, Grandma," Ukyou whispered into the telephone. "Please stop yelling, you're going to wake my fiancé and his mom."

"What? Yes, I'm sharing his room. How did you know? What! No, we are not doing that. Or that! What do you mean why not? Grandma, please." The room seemed suddenly warm as Ukyou turned the same color as the borrowed negligee and shirt that she wore.

"How did you know about the love hotel? What do you mean you guessed? No, we didn't do anything there, either. What? No, I do **not** need to be more aggressive!"

She forced her voice back to a whisper, while subconsciously tugging at the collar of the borrowed shirt.

"Grandma, I didn't call to talk about that. You're worse than Ranchan's mom." Ukyou sighed in frustration and covered her eyes with her hand. "It...it is about me and Ranchan. No, I don't need to know about that, Dr. Tofu explained it in great detail to both of us."

She groaned, realizing how her grandmother would misinterpret that last statement.

"No, Grandma, this is about love, not that other stuff. I've always loved him, ever since I met him. If he wasn't here, I wouldn't want to go on, I don't think I could, but I have to know if he feels the same way about me."

"No, Grandma, it's more than just that. I have to know if it's really him or if it's something else making him act that way. I have to know if it's real."

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Sorry, Ranchan."

Dawn was hours away, and the sky remained overcast. Ranma stood staring out the window at the snow-filled skies, but he didn't see them. What sleep he'd managed had been restless, filled with dreams of her and most of the fantasies embarrassed the boy. Not that he hadn't enjoyed the way they started, but most of the dreams also ended badly as fate or his own stupidity and carelessness tore her away from him. His fiancée had to repeat herself before he realized she was speaking to him.

"It's alright, Ucchan." He didn't turn to face her.

"No, it isn't." Her voice was quiet, less than a whisper, and full of pain. "I know you hate being forced, even if people think it's for good reasons, maybe even if it is what you want to do." She closed her eyes and her lower lip began to tremble. "I...it's my fault. I don't know if your mom was trying to help me or hurt your Dad and Mr. Tendo, but I went along with it."

"Mom probably wanted to do some of both. Don't worry about it. You may have put on that, um, nightgown like she asked, but you also put the shirt on over it like I asked." His eyes remained locked on the skies outside, but his cheeks colored as he remembered her long graceful legs, legs covered by nothing but his gaze.

"But I do worry about it," she replied. "Trying to force you would just drive you away and I don't want that. I don't ever want to lose you again. I don't think I could..."

Faint noises behind him made him turn from the window. His fiancée sat huddled on the futon, her face down against her knees.

"Aw, c'mon, Ucchan. Please don't cry. It's always gonna be like this." Resignation was plain in his voice as he knelt in front of her. "There's always gonna be someone trying to get me to do what they want. Some of them are even like Mom, trying to do what she thinks is best for me."

"That still doesn't mean you like it."

She lifted her eyes and he nodded silently.

_Still, it's good to have someone to talk to. It's good to have someone like Ucchan who listens._

"Ranchan?"

"Sorry, um, thanks. Thanks for...for...oh, I dunno...for being you, I guess." He smiled faintly, hoping the words he couldn't express would be enough. He didn't expect her to glomp him and as he felt her body against his, he was reminded of how very little she wore beneath the borrowed shirt. Memories of his dreams returned, dreams that could become real. All he needed to do was break the promise he'd made to himself about waiting, about doing what he believed was best for his fiancée.

"Umm, I was doing some more thinking, Ucchan." He swallowed, trying not to think too much about her. "Um, anyways, I got an idea that I hope is gonna solve some of this mess, but I'm gonna need your help."

He glanced back out the window and frowned.

"If this weather would just clear up."

Fate couldn't be against him all the time, but the storm showed no signs of abating.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Shinrou had never heard of indigestion, but the sensations it was experiencing were remarkably similar. Once it absorbed a person their body became a puppet to play with as the Mamono slowly eroded their soul. They weren't supposed to keep struggling, certainly not to fight more fiercely as time passed.

It wished it hadn't left the restaurant, either. The other Chinese girl had been so close to the edge and it would have only needed to push her a little more. But it had sensed strange dark magics being worked by the boy upstairs; the one who was past fear because he'd already lost everything that mattered to him.

Shinrou had no desire to be compelled or controlled by whatever unwholesome sorceries the boy might be concocting. The girl might only be bait, and the Mamono intended to be the puppeteer, not the puppet. There were several other potential victims available. It could have absorbed half-a-hundred ordinary people, but Shinrou enjoyed destroying the strong, and soon it would have another chance.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

He felt weak, helpless, and he didn't like that at all.

_I'm the strong one. The one who never quits. The one who never stops for death, who never admits defeat._

But he might have to this time. Happosai cursed the day he'd baptized that ungrateful wretch at Jusenkyou.

_Pantyhose Tarou is a wonderful name, one he should be proud of. It reminds me of the pleasures of life and I'm old enough to realize how important it is to enjoy yourself. Who knows how long we might have left?_

He knew he probably didn't have much longer. He licked dried and cracked lips, but it didn't help.

_The ungrateful bastard gave me just enough to kill me slowly._

Hunger and thirst had taken their toll on the shriveled lecher. His eyes were sunken in his face and his whole form seemed be collapsing in on itself. Happosai finally looked his age, though he stubbornly refused to act it. Of course, he didn't blame himself for the acts that lead to his current problem. He was much like his students Genma and Soun in that.

It had began those many weeks ago, when he'd realized that there was a whole new generation of silky darlings that needed to be liberated from a whole new generation of Amazons. He'd almost reached their village when he'd spotted the girl.

_With that low-cut top how was I to know she would be so cruel, leading an old man on and then denying him of one of the few pleasures left to him._

He'd forgotten about Rouge and her Jusenkyou curse, but he was smart enough to flee. He'd even dodged most of the energy the girl's three-headed six-armed cursed form flung at him. She destroyed half the forest with fire and lightning before he finally lost her.

Unfortunately, he'd found Pantyhose Tarou, the other monster among the Jusenkyou curse victims. As usual, the Chinese boy proved touchy about his name and took it out on Happosai, the one who gave it and the only one allowed to change it.

_The wretched brat obviously planned this for a while. I wonder if the girl was part of it?_

Rouge and Tarou hated each other, but Happosai had a talent for getting enemies to band together against him. Whether it was a plan or mere luck that provided the opportunity, Tarou had vented his frustrations on the ancient lecher with his hooves and horns and fists and tentacles.

That's how the semi-mangled old lech ended chained to the bottom of a pit. There was no lock; the chain was welded around his ankle and the opposite end set in the concrete that lined the floor of the pit. The pit was far too deep and the sides far too smooth for him to climb out. Above the mouth of the pit dangled one of the finest collections of sheer undergarments Happosai had seen. Another agony for him to endure.

_One touch of those silky darlings and I'd have my strength back. I'd shatter this chain and be free._

He might as well have wished to fly. He'd grown too weak to escape, so weak he almost gave in to the ungrateful brat and changed his name. Yet in the end the old man had proved more stubborn than the young one.

Pantyhose Tarou had raged off in frustration four days ago. Two days later it snowed and that was the last moisture Happosai had tasted. No one would try to rescue him; most people who knew him would just try to fill in the pit. It was dark at the bottom and he only saw the sun for a few hours a day, but the darkness reminded him of something.

It had been this bad before. Soun and Genma had sealed him in the cave. Still, he'd found the strength, the power to survive that time and he knew he would again, no matter what it cost him or anyone else.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Nodoka Saotome stood with her ear pressed against the door of her son's room. He and his fiancée had risen very early for breakfast, gobbled it down, and retreated back to his room. Now they'd been alone in there for almost an hour. Eavesdropping was rather rude, but she needed to hear this, she needed to confirm that her son was a man among men. Those muffled words she could make out brought a smile to her face.

"C'mon, Ucchan, try it again."

"Just wait a minute while I catch my breath," the girl replied "I wasn't expecting you to give me such a workout."

"What's the matter, can't handle it, Ucchan?"

The girl's laugh was crystal clear and full of joy. "I can handle anything you've got, Ranchan."

A series of indistinct noises followed, noises that Nodoka found quite encouraging. She checked her watch, timing until silence came and she smiled even more deeply. She was ready to pull her ear away from the door when she heard Ranma speak softly.

"I wasn't too rough, was I?"

"Hey, I'm not exactly fragile," the girl replied. "I may feel sore for a bit, but that's alright, I think I needed this."

"You sure you wanna try it again."

"Of course," she laughed again, "but this time, you're the one who's gonna end up flat on their butt."

Nodoka practically skipped down the hall her bedroom as cheerful laughter echoed behind her. While she rejoiced, her son and his fiancée continued sparring, honing the edge of their martial arts skills.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

He didn't touch the brittle scroll; he didn't even breathe on it. This fragment of 'A Record of Master Chen's Communications with the Unseen World' was one of the less unwholesome sections of a work banned by several dynasties. The faded spidery writing of the long dead calligrapher was only legible from inches away, even if you had better eyes than Mousse. He held his breath as he scanned it a fifth time, confirming he'd made no errors in copying the information.

Mousse's expression was grim, with good reason. He'd found what he was looking for, but the ritual that could restore Shampoo to life was far from simple, even though he had much of what he needed.

He leaned back and sighed, pushing his glasses up and letting the world fade to a blur again. He was weary to the core of his being, exhausted both mentally and physically. He didn't know how long he'd worked through the ancient books and scrolls; he didn't even know what time of day it was. His stomach gave a muted rumble, but sleep was the stronger seduction.

This ritual hadn't been attempted in fifteen hundred years, for even the cost of success was higher than most were willing to pay. He didn't care, he had hope again, and he would do what was needed to restore Shampoo to life.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Ukyou wiped the condensation from the bathroom mirror and looked at herself. She raised her left hand until the Yoma ring was reflected as well and remembered her Grandmother's words.

"It's alright, Ukyou. It's alright. I don't know where you got that idea, but the Yoma ring can only be used to help, to protect, to heal both you and those you care about and to bind, banish, or destroy the Mamonos. Only those monsters can twist people's emotions like that."

Ukyou had released the breath she hadn't known she was holding.

"Remember the chant you use to summon your powers, Ukyou. Those vile beings who toy with the hearts and souls of men. They can do that, but we can't, even by accident."

Then Madoka Mano had answered the question her granddaughter hadn't asked.

"Even they can only manipulate existing feelings. When Yohko and her friend Osamu were in that love hotel, the Mamono didn't create those feelings between them, it only amplified them. Yes, just like the creatures you're fighting, Ukyou."

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Tatewaki Kuno had remained awake all night and even as morning approached he still couldn't sleep. Something was wrong and for once he remained silent. He glanced over at the hospital bed his sister slept on. They quarreled more than many siblings, but he knew it was his duty as a samurai to protect his younger sister.

_I know you are out there, foul beast summoned by a fouler sorcerer. I shall destroy your creature, Ranma Saotome. I shall protect the last of my family from both it and from the foul spells you used to ensnare both her heart and mine. Truly, a day of vengeance is at hand and you shall rue your treacheries until your final gasping breath of pain._

"I wonder what form you shall take this time," he whispered, not wanting to rouse his sister. "The first two Mamonos struck me in secret, when I was unaware. The third dared not face me at all, no doubt because of my noted martial skills."

"And you shall fare no better, for I, Tatewaki Kuno, the Blue Thun..." He paused a moment in thought. "Nay, I have used that appellation for far too long. From this day forward, I shall be known as the Crimson Avenger. And vengeance I shall have, for all the wrongs done to the fair Akane Tendo, the bold Ukyou Kuonji, and to mine own deluded sister."

He fell silent, staring at the form on the bed, the turned, searching the corners of the room, scouring the darkness for any sign of another monster.

"You shall fare no better than your predecessors," the boy repeated, "for I, Tatewaki Kuno, the Crimson Avenger of Furinkan High, fear neither beast nor man nor monster."

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"This had better work."

"What was that, Ucchan?"

"I was practicing in the bathroom."

Ranma appeared confused. His fiancée had spent a rather long time there, but girls seemed to do that for their own mysterious reasons. "Practicing what?" he replied.

"Well, I was trying to do something different with my outfit."

"That was quick." Akane seemed to take hours when she did that kind of stuff and he never noticed what she'd changed. Guessing only made things worse. "Sorry, Ucchan, I'm kinda bad at noticing stuff like that. What did you do different?"

"That's what I wanna show you," the girl replied. "I was trying to change the way the Mamono Hunter outfit looks and I think I've got it now."

She rattled off the chant before he could reply. As always, she felt a spinning sensation, then coolness, then warmth, but Ranma's reaction was completely unexpected. He blushed, stammered her name, and took a half-step backwards. His hand rose to his face, drawing attention to the faint trickle of blood coming from his nose.

Ukyou glanced down at herself. The dress looked perfectly normal, the only change being its color was now purple, exactly as she'd intended. Some of her private attempts at modifying the dress had been downright scandalous, but none of her clothing was missing or transparent this time. Her fiancé's response made no sense.

At least it made no sense until he explained just how revealing the transformation itself was. Ukyou sighed and bowed her head. "Sorry, Ranchan. I..."

"You don't gotta apologize," he replied. "I mean, you weren't trying to give me a free show. It was...I dunno, you looked real, um, I don't think cute is the right word."

"So you like what you saw." Her heart was a furnace blazing inside her, making the whole room feel like an inferno, and boldness triumphed over fear. "Um, I guess I could do it again."

"Ahh," her fiancé replied.

"That is if you want me to," she winked.

He wanted it, but he knew she trusted him and he didn't want to take advantage of one of the few people who did that. Though thinking about it, she probably wouldn't see it that way. She was willing to trust him with everything, including herself, and she wouldn't ask him to make or keep any promises.

He looked into her eyes, eyes deep as the sea. An anxious smile began to curve her mouth and her lips began to open. He didn't know that she only intended a little nervous teasing; he just knew he had to stop her chant before he saw her like that again, before he lost control. He sealed her lips with his, realizing too late that this plan wasn't the cleverest way of trying to keep a clear head.

Ukyou didn't need to speak to change her clothing back and her skin felt warm against his touch.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

_I'm not ready._

A lie.

_We've only gone out a few times. We hardly know each other. I haven't had time to think it through._

More lies. She'd thought about this for years, hoping and fearing this day long before he mastered himself enough to ask her out. She knew she was lying, lying to herself, stalling for more time. She was afraid. Afraid of change. Afraid of being unable to change. Now she balanced on a knife-edge of decision. Now she had to decide. One simple answer and her life would never be the same. A second different answer and her life might never change again. Everything would continue as it always had, blurring into a gray empty sameness until hope and life had ended.

"I...," the girl stammered, afraid to meet his gaze, yet afraid not to. She didn't want to take this long before she answered. She didn't want to seem rude. Her tongue seemed to stick to the roof of her mouth, a mouth that felt so very dry.

"I...I...," Kasumi looked into Tofu's patient eyes. She knew she needed to answer, he'd just asked her to marry him, but she remained frozen, babbling like a fool.

Then the lights flickered out.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"How long has it been?"

"Hush, Airen. You needed the sleep."

"It's dark," Konatsu murmured.

"Of course it is. You slept all afternoon and all night."

"No, Shampoo. It's something else, I can feel it."

The girl's face clouded in puzzlement.

"It's out there searching," the boy insisted. "I can feel it. Maybe it's because of the way I was affected by Haradachi and Ikari. Some **thing** is out there looking for people...people it can do things to."

"Don't worry, Airen, I'll protect you."

At first Konatsu thought the Amazon was making some sort of grim joke, but he decided she was serious. She'd been raised as a warrior, and even her injuries couldn't change that attitude. The ninja pushed aside the worries that raised about his own ability to change and replied. "This will take magic, Shampoo. Do you know any?"

"Not much. Not really. Nothing that will help. Can you tell where it is, Airen?

"It's close, but it's getting harder to sense it. It feels like the thing is waiting."

"Waiting for what?"

"I wish I knew." Konatsu wobbled to his feet and moved between Shampoo and the doorway. He frowned and peered into the shadows. He was a ninja, he felt at home in the shadows, but this darkness made him uneasy.

Something was approaching, an inky effigy in the darkened hallway, something vaguely manlike shambling towards them. He could barely see it. He couldn't sense it at all. Either it was masking its chi or it wasn't alive in a way that anything of this earth was.

"What is it?" the Chinese girl whispered. She wheeled forward almost silently, but she still saw nothing and she wished for the vision of her cursed form. She was ready, even eager for a fight, but the waiting, the uncertainty, were agonizing.

"I think it's the Mamono," the ninja whispered back. "We should leave while we can."

"I'm not afrai..." her reply trailed away. "That's right, you're in no shape to fight this, Airen."

He knew that neither of them were, but the girl's words allowed her to salvage her pride, so he didn't object. Shampoo edged slowly forward and down the hallway to the right, her movements silent as the night, except to an expert like Konatsu.

He risked another glance back, then followed the Amazon.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

_Gone, she's gone,_ echoed through Tofu's mind. He knew his timing was poor at best, but he'd needed to snap her out of her sorrow and he'd needed to ask that question while he could still maintain control instead of reverting to the babbling idiot he far too often became in her presence. Even then it had seemed an eternity, an eternity balanced between hope and fear, waiting for Kasumi to answer his stammered question.

Then suddenly she was gone, pulled into the darkness like her sister Akane, erased from his life. Tofu stretched his hands into emptiness, knowing how empty his life would be without her, but there was nothing left to grasp. He collapsed to his knees as tendrils of darkness flowed across the floor, circling, edging near, yet dodging away before they touched him. He didn't notice when they faded away leaving him alone.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"We're being herded," Shampoo whispered. Something advanced relentlessly down the hall behind them. From other corridors to the side, more noises told of other things approaching. Konatsu was used to working in the dark, but this was more than natural darkness, and all he saw were vague outlines. One had to be Akane, another Lin-Lin, and the last was probably Ryouga, unless the monster had absorbed others they hadn't heard of.

Two forms approached from opposite sides. Their motions seemed jerky, perhaps hesitant, and they moved slowly. Perhaps they were still fighting for control. It was easier to see the one in the middle, the ink-black effigy with blank white staring eyes, advancing towards them with no hesitation at all.

"All that's left is the elevator," Konatsu stated.

"It's a trap. It wouldn't be forcing us that way if it wasn't a trap."

"So what do we do?"

"Surprise it. We take the elevator, but we don't touch the floor. I think it's in the floor, like Ryouga and Ran-Ran told us, like what happened to Lin-Lin."

"What? How?" Shadows masked the ninja's face, but couldn't hide the puzzlement in his voice.

"We climb, Airen."

"But you can't."

"Of course I can. I'm quite strong enough to climb using just my arms."

He flinched at the reminder of her injuries. "I didn't mean strength. We have to get through the elevator as quickly as we can."

Shampoo didn't reply. She'd spent enough time the hospital to notice the clear plastic pitchers in every room. Pitchers full of cold water.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Mousse stretched slowly, he'd needed the sleep badly to clear his head and erase his fatigue after the long hours he'd spent researching a way to save Shampoo. Now he needed to act quickly; the longer he waited, the harder it would be to recall the girl's spirit from the afterlife.

It would have been much easier if he'd her body, but he was certain Cologne was returning Shampoo's ashes to the Amazon village. He was forced to improvise, to find a replacement to house the girl's spirit. It might not be possible; the ritual wasn't designed to work that way. Still, he needed to try, whatever the cost.

Mousse double-checked his list. If it would work as a substitute, the body would be the easy part. Because of her Jusenkyou curse, Shampoo would be forever linked symbolically with the cat. Overcrowded animal shelters put down cats every week; all he needed to do was collect one.

He wasn't sure if he could kill a cat anyway, it would feel too much like killing Shampoo, but he could let somebody else do it for him. If everything else went according to plan, the girl he loved could return to Jusenkyou and seek out the Spring of Drowned Girl. Of course, if everything went according to plan, he wouldn't be able to help her anymore.

_How did that saying go? A life for a life?_

Mousse wasn't afraid of that. His only concern was that the ritual might fail.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Three dark forms stood outside the elevator. They were too late, the ninja had disappeared. Shinrou's puppets didn't care, they weren't even conscious of the way the Mamono manipulated their bodies.

Shinrou did care. It could barely sense the ninja, which was worrisome. Its clever trap had failed.

Konatsu was well trained. He could mask his chi, concealing his presence on a mystic as well as a physical level. The monster had covered the bottom of the elevator, but the ninja never touched the creature. He leapt, bounced off the elevator walls and through the emergency escape in its roof before the Mamono knew the boy had entered. By the time the creature began flowing up the sides, Konatsu was several stories up the elevator cable.

Shinrou didn't sigh in frustration, but only because it couldn't. Yet it was more than frustrated by its failure. The creature could no longer sense the Amazon girl at all. It was almost as if she'd ceased to exist. That meant magic, and magic was one of the few things that could destroy a Mamono.

The creature gave mental commands to its puppets, sending them to search. While they did that, it would finish gaining control of the tall girl and then go seek the doctor who'd been with her.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Konatsu paused, listening, which wasn't the easiest task. Clinging to an elevator cable wasn't the best position for it, especially when a conscientious maintenance man had recently regreased the cable.

"Mrew?" A pale purple cat clung to the front of his clothing, firmly gripping the cloth with the two sets of claws that still worked. Konatsu shook his head. If the Mamono was following he couldn't hear it and if Shampoo saw something with her cat's eyes, she couldn't tell him.

"Mrew?" Shampoo repeated gently.

Konatsu stretched upwards, but hesitated. He'd barely heard it. Something shuffling into the elevator below. The boy began climbing again. It was too dark for anyone but Shampoo to see the determined look on his face.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"This is inconvenient." Mousse wasn't speaking to anyone and the snow filled skies absorbed his words. He glanced back into the restaurant. Every light in the main room blazed, trying to erase the shadows and the monster that haunted them. Ran-Ran slept fitfully in the corner, partly concealed behind a barricade of tables and chairs that wouldn't have stopped the Mamono. Mousse considered and rejected waking her.

_I'll show them what a mere male can do without any of their help._

Besides, the girl might try to stop him.

Mousse read the list again. A surprisingly large number of the needed ingredients were common, even ordinary, and could be easily obtained at the local apothecary's. He'd found most of the exceptions among the things Cologne had collected over the decades, and by the time she discovered his theft he would be far beyond the reach of her retribution. Like many alchemical potions, this one boasted an extravagant name, but this potion actually deserved it. The Sapphire Essence Resurrection Elixir used no actual sapphires, but it could restore the dead to life. At least that is what it was supposed to do. If he made one mistake with the formula, or if the ancient scroll had lied, nothing would happen, at least nothing good.

Mousse chuckled darkly at that thought, certain his ancestors were smiling on his quest. There were only three ingredients that weren't among Cologne's things, that none of the local stores would possibly have. Two were rare plant extracts, one an exotic wood. Yet he knew where to find all three. There was one place in Nerima, perhaps in all of Japan where he could find them. Ironically, his possession by Ikari had provided the solution.

_Kodachi's greenhouse. I wonder how she'd feel, knowing her obsession would save Shampoo._

Mousse wouldn't ask. He couldn't risk the gymnast saying no. He'd take what he needed. He was even less worried about her wrath than Cologne's.

_It will be harder with more snow coming down, but even as a duck, I can do this._

He had to, he couldn't afford the price of failure.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

_It would be easy to let go, just let go and fall into the darkness._

The idea was very seductive.

_No more struggles, no more worries, just let go and plunge into the darkness, the peaceful, unchanging darkness._

It would have been the easy path, but it felt wrong. She'd endured too much to take the easy path.

_I can't let go. Not till I've told him, not till I've answered his question._

Kasumi's resistance to the Mamono lacked the ferocity, but not the determination her sister Akane had displayed.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Konatsu's head throbbed, his arms ached, but he'd almost reached the top of the cable. He paused to catch his breath and decide what to do next, but he wasn't given a chance. The hum of the motor was quiet even in the confinement of the narrow shaft. The elevator was approaching rapidly and whoever built this shaft had neglected to provide a convenient air duct for escape like they always did in the movies.

The ninja glanced down, gauging distance and speed, then up estimating the available space. He didn't like the answer. "Shampoo, I'm going to drop you on the roof of the elevator, you're small enough now. I'll jump through the open hatch on the roof."

"Mrow," she disagreed loudly.

"I don't think the Mamono is still in there. I'll be fine."

"Mrow," she replied skeptically. The boy's lie was anything but convincing. Why else would the elevator be rising? Shampoo released the grip of one front paw and swung herself till she faced away from the boy. The cable hung inches in front of her.

Shampoo had regularly demonstrated the ability to shatter concrete walls. She couldn't do that by raw strength, otherwise she could have pulped any of her rivals. It was another application of the Bakusai Tenketsu, the Breaking Point Technique. Snapping the elevator cable would be more difficult and there was only time for one attempt.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Tofu Ono stood just outside the lobby of the hospital. Gentle flakes of snow drifted slowly from the darkened sky, their peace mocking the turmoil in his soul. He didn't remember how he'd gotten here and he didn't want to remember what had happened to Kasumi. He didn't feel the cold which brought him to his senses, but he knew he needed magical help if he was going to free the girl he loved.

Enough snow had fallen to cover the dangerous layer of ice beneath, so he had little difficulty reaching the pay phone. Finding Ukyou was proving to be much harder.

The phone rang for the seventeenth time as Tofu's hopes began to die. It was the third time he'd called Ukyou's restaurant and still no one replied. He'd already called his clinic twice, getting only the answering machine. Ran-Ran had answered at the Neko Hanten. She was alone and clearly frightened, but Tofu could do nothing for the girl. At least she was more coherent than the sobbing wreck named Soun who answered at the Tendo dojo.

_Think, man, think. They have to be somewhere._

He needed to find Ukyou, without her magic Kasumi was doomed. Tofu slammed his fist against the side of the phone booth, never noticing the way he cracked the plexiglas.

_If only there were someone else._

His breath escaped in a groan of frustration. A moment passed and then hope reappeared in Tofu's eyes. Ukyou would be with Ranma, and there was one likely place left where the boy could be. Tofu snatched up the phone again, but before he could dial both phone and phone booth detonated in a spray of metal and plastic and the Doctor's body was flung backward into the snow.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Kodachi's name means shortsword, rather like a wakizashi. Tatewaki's name means 'bringing a sword', but his father usually calls him Tachi, which is a sword about the size of a katana, though it can be larger. Following this theme, the little sister's name Sagegami doesn't refer to swords, it actually means ponytail. But her nickname, Sageo, means sword knot, a cord that was bound to make sure the sword was never drawn.


	12. Shinrou Part 5

Mamono Hunter Ukyou

Shinrou: Shadow of Fear

Part 5

By Edward A. Simons

Based on characters and situations created by Takahashi Rumiko. Ranma 1/2 and characters copyright Shogakukan, Kitty Animation Circle, and Takahashi Rumiko. Devil Hunter Yohko and characters copyright NCS, Toho Company, LTD., and Mad House. This story revised 2005 by Edward Simons.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

In the silence of the night

How we shiver with affright

At the melancholy menace of their tone!

For every sound that floats

From the rust within their throats,

Is a groan:

Edgar Allen Poe, "The Bells"

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Akane was still struggling, fighting for someone else's life. When Konatsu and Shampoo evaded its trap, the Mamono had slipped away seeking other prey. Lin-Lin and Ryouga's bodies also shuffled away, one swiftly, one slowly, but both propelled by the Mamono's will.

The Tendo girl sensed that this might be her last chance, and more importantly the last chance for the life she carried inside. It felt like swimming through tar, but her dark-coated form lurched into the elevator. She slumped against the side, and perhaps it was an accident that she struck the elevator button before collapsing to her knees with a thud.

The elevator began to rise and it felt like she was pulling away from the Mamono. Fear was replaced by confidence, as she continued to resist the creature's control. Until now she'd felt like she was falling - falling into the darkness, falling into the earth, falling into the grave. Now the relief from that sensation made her feel like she was flying.

Then she felt the pain, the crushing pain as the monster abandoned its attempt to control the girl and sought to destroy her; felt the pressure on every inch of her body, pressure like being entombed beneath tons of dirt and rock. She wanted to give up. She wanted to run crying to Daddy like when she was a child. But she knew her father wouldn't help. Since her mother died, he hadn't been a help to anyone.

_No one else knows I'm here._

The black-shrouded form that was Akane writhed on the floor of the elevator, twisting in ways it shouldn't. A dark, lipless mouth opened in a soundless scream as pale, staring eyes bulged in pain. The form writhed for moments that felt like eternities and then the girl lay still on the floor of the elevator.

_I have to be alive. I hurt too much not to be alive._

She sat up, and suddenly she could see as something dark and brittle flaked away from her face. She coughed and blinked.

"I made it," she whispered weakly. She was in an elevator, its floor now covered in a black powdery grit. Then Shampoo snapped the elevator cable above her and Akane plunged back into the darkness.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Tofu rolled to his feet, biting back the pain. Blood flowed gently down his cheek, gently as the quiet falling snow, and several bits of shrapnel were embedded in his arm and shoulder. Normally he could have sensed his attacker, but something had muted the boy's natural life energies.

He could tell from the movements that this was Ryouga, even if the body now had skin the color of obsidian and lidless blank eyes the color of milk. Tofu circled to his right. The boy wouldn't deliberately endanger others with his chi attack, but possessed, Ryouga might do anything. This way if the Lost Boy missed, and Tofu certainly intended for him to miss, he wouldn't strike the hospital.

Tofu brushed the back of his hand across his cheek, wiping away the warm blood. He waited in forced patience for his opponent to make the first mistake.

He almost waited too long. Ryouga hardly moved, threatening attack, but doing nothing. It didn't make sense unless he was a decoy, but the doctor couldn't sense anyone else nearby. Tofu trusted his instincts anyway and sprang to his left, diving, rolling, and coming to his feet again.

A second dark form stood directly behind the place he'd been. It was shorter and female; perhaps it was Ran-Ran's sister. Whoever it was, he should have been able sense the girl. The Mamono had masked Ryouga's battle aura, but Tofu had sensed it just in time. He couldn't sense anything from this girl and that disturbed him.

Now she advanced, followed by the boy. Tofu assessed his odds. There might be more of them and he needed to find another telephone. It was time to withdraw while he still could.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"I guess I'm still alive," Akane whispered and she smiled as she realized she could hear again. The emergency braking system had worked. The elevator had only fallen a short distance before coming to a stop between floors.

"I know there's still power, the elevator was still moving. That means I..."

The emergency phone rang and Akane nearly jumped in fright. Hesitantly, she fumbled for it and picked it up.

"He...Hello?"

"This is Miyo."

"Who?"

"The one who can foretell the future."

"What?"

"Miyo," the soft voice replied. "I'm in your class at school."

"What? Why are you even..."

"Listen, there isn't time for this. I'm Miyo, the girl..."

"Oh, yeah, I remember you," Akane laughed bitterly, "the phony psychic who predicted Ranma and I would get married before the end of the week. How many months ago was that?"

Miyo's tone remained calm. "I don't have time to argue," she replied. "The future is difficult to see, even when things aren't trying to obscure it. I can see patterns, but nothing is certain. That's why I was wrong before."

"Excuses, nothing but excuses," the Tendo girl replied, pausing as another fit of coughing came.

"Akane, you have to listen to me, for everyone's sake. Even I make mistakes, but I'm certain now."

The Tendo girl laughed again and prepared to hang up the phone. A quiet voice whispered, "It's a girl," and Akane froze.

"What?"

"You heard me and there isn't time to explain more. There are many futures, but I see two - stronger, more likely than the others. Two futures and the choice is yours."

"What?"

"Just shut up and listen, Akane," Miyo's voice remained calm in spite of the harsh words. "You have a choice. You can continue alone and you'll be the hero. Because of your actions, almost everyone that can still be saved will be saved. Probably."

"Probably? Almost?" the Tendo girl questioned.

"Or you can call Ranma. He's at his mother's. You can ask for his help. You can swallow your pride and resentment."

"What happens then? Then we'll save everyone?"

"The chances are better, much better. That's all I can tell you, Akane. I have a gift, but I can't be certain about the future."

"So maybe...I might be able to save as many people as Ranma could."

"It's possible. That choice is up to you."

Akane frowned. "How come you called me here? How could you call me here anyway?" If she remembered correctly, an elevator's emergency phone only contacted somewhere else in the same building. "And why didn't you call Ranma yourself?"

"Because he won't believe me." Miyo game a tired sigh. "I made an error before and now he doesn't trust me or my gift. If I call him, he won't come. But he trusts you. He'll always come if you need help. You know that and you count on it even though you hate it."

There was a click, then silence, then the hum of the dial tone.

Akane muttered under her breath as she climbed on to the roof of the elevator car. "So how am I supposed to call Ranma if I don't even know where I am?"

A soft voice from the shadows above her answered. "The hospital."

"Who?" Akane replied, dropping into a defensive stance. "Where are you? Who are you? What do you want?"

"It's Konatsu," the voice whispered from the darkness. "Please," he continued, "catch Shampoo and then I'll jump down."

"Wait." But the cat was already falling towards her. Reflexively, the Tendo girl caught her and put her down. Slowly, Shampoo began crawling towards the side, dragging her useless limbs behind her.

"What's wrong with her legs?"

"Not her legs, her spine. Please move her out of the way so I can jump down without hitting her."

Akane hesitantly picked the cat up, holding it like it was made of glass. "I...it is you, isn't it, Shampoo?"

"Mrow," was the mournful reply.

"I...we...we need to call Ranma."

The cat nodded as Konatsu dropped down beside them.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

_This has to be a trap._

It made no sense at all. The Kuno mansion stood quiet and apparently empty. The only light came from the greenhouse below, and even after circling several times, he still saw no signs of movement.

_It's too late to worry about that now._

The duck that was really a boy pulled in his wings and plunged through the glass top of the greenhouse. He threw out his wings again, slowing his fall as the broken glass tumbled away to slice unsuspecting plants or shatter on the floor below. A few swift beats of his wings and Mousse reached the first of his objectives.

It was much harder using a beak instead of hands, but he wasn't going to leave until he had all three items he needed. He paused for a moment, listening, but the boy heard nothing strange and returned to his work.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Sasuke told himself he wasn't worried. Ukyou's restaurant was still closed and nobody was making flower deliveries with the city buried under a blanket of snow. Yes, Master Tatewaki had to understand.

The ninja lay back on his simple futon and sighed. He'd wanted to go searching for a florist at daybreak, but the clouds were a uniform darkness, smothering the world in shadow with no sign when or if the light would ever return.

Then the alarm went off, interrupting the ninja's thoughts. There were no bells or flashing lights at the site of the intrusion. The Kuno family didn't want to scare off any burglars; they found personal confrontation with the criminals more satisfying. The alarm didn't warn the police either, as there were some things even the Kunos might have an awkward time explaining. Instead, an electrical signal activated a buzzer in Sasuke's room. If it was a threat, he could warn the others and if it was a cat or other false alarm only the ninja's sleep would be disturbed.

Of course, he wasn't asleep anyway. He groaned and looked at the bank of video monitors, checking what the hidden cameras showed him.

_There, in the greenhouse._

Ducks didn't normally wear glasses or carry satchels around their necks. They certainly didn't snip away bits of vegetation and stuff them into their satchels. Sasuke knew he'd have to investigate since all three Kunos were gone, but he didn't like it.

Truthfully, the ninja was somewhat cowardly and possessed only slightly better combat skills than Kasumi Tendo, so he investigated the disturbance cautiously. So cautiously he barely arrived in time to see the duck flying away.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Akane slumped against the side of the hallway and slid down to a sitting position. A few paces away the elevator doors stood ajar. She hadn't realized how hard it would be to force them open.

She'd never felt this weary before. She didn't know how long she'd struggled against the Mamono, but she seemed to have used up everything fighting it. Breathing was the only thing she felt up to at the moment, and that hurt. Everything hurt. Her muscles ached, her bones ached, her skin ached, her hair ached. All she wanted to do was curl up and sleep.

Konatsu sat across from her, his normal cute demeanor erased. He held the crippled cat gently, softly stroking its fur, and murmuring gentle words Akane couldn't hear. Shampoo somehow managed to look pleased and annoyed at the same time.

The Tendo girl sighed and wished someone she cared about was holding her like that. _I guess I'd better get used to it. Ryouga would be here if he could. He's probably in Okinawa right now._

For the first time, she really understood the Hibiki family curse, and how lonely it could be to live with it. A new ache blossomed within her heart, joining the ache caused by the loss of her sister, muting the aches of her body.

_At least I'll see him again._ Even in her thoughts, she shied away from the loss of her mother and sister. _I'll cry later. There isn't time now._

She looked back at her companions. Konatsu had somehow managed to clean the grease off his hands, and his clothing hid the stains, but dark smudges were still visible on his cheek and the bandage wrapped around his head. Even though he looked pale and weary, the ninja still managed to exude a grace and femininity that Akane knew she'd never match.

_Great, that's two guys I'm jealous of for looking better than me._ But she was too tired to be really angry.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Hello?" She hadn't expected the phone to ring.

The voice on the other end was hoarse, breathless. "You don't know me, Mrs. Saotome, but I have to talk to Ranma. Is he there?"

"I'm sorry, he just left, Mr..."

"Doctor, Doctor Tofu. Was Ukyou with him?"

"Yes, she was."

"No," the doctor whispered. "Do you know why? Did they say where they were going?"

"Someone called and they left in a hurry, before I could ask questions. I hope they'll be alright."

"I hope they're coming here, Mrs. Saotome, for all our sakes."

"What's going on?" Nodoka asked, "Where is my son?" But the doctor had already hung up.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

The world was drained of sound and color. Darkness muted the light, fading all shades to gray, except the darkened sky and the pale snow that muffled their footfalls as still more fell silently from the darkness above. It seemed wrong to speak and shatter the silence; but after the laughter and noise back at Nodoka's house, the unnatural stillness didn't feel right, either.

_It was starting to feel like home, like a real home, like **my** home._ She couldn't remember what that was like. Most of her life was spent in travel and the restaurant was a business, a place to sleep, but not a home. She glanced over at Ranma. As long as he was there, she didn't need a home, but it had felt nice to pretend. She was even able to pretend she had a mother again and for a little while she could relax and forget her responsibilities.

Akane's phone call had shattered all that. It was strange for the Tendo girl to admit she needed help of any kind and that meant the problem must be serious. The sensible thing was to remain in the warmth and light, but duty drove them forward.

She felt warm and cold at the same time. Around her, the early morning was chilly, but there was a deeper cold of fear at what they could be facing. It had been there since that night on the ice. The battle at the school, where Ranma nearly bled to death, had made her even more afraid of losing him. All the conflicts before then, all those squabbles they thought were battles, even her ten-year quest for vengeance, were nothing compared to the struggle against these inhuman things that seemed to live on pain.

The warmth came not from the borrowed coat, or from the strong arm wrapped around her as they huddled beneath the umbrella. It came because of who that arm belonged to and why he held her close. She smiled as she gazed at Ranma's face and the determination in his expression. She'd followed him for ten years and she planned on following him the rest of her life.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Mousse?"

The duck ignored Ran-Ran as it arrowed toward the kitchen. When a boy in white robes emerged soon after, he continued to ignore the girl.

"Please," she stretched out a hand, needing someone to touch, to talk to, to provide some sort of comfort for her loneliness. She didn't get it from Mousse; he didn't even see her as he hurried upstairs.

Ran-Ran collapsed into a ball on the floor. She'd grown up in the village surrounded by friends and family. She was never alone unless she deliberately chose it and she hadn't liked it. Tears wound down the girl's cheeks, tears she would have denied as unbecoming to an Amazon warrior.

"Please, ancestors," her quavering voice whispered in Mandarin, "Please bring back sister Lin-Lin and stupid Airen safely. Please, I don't need the whole village, I just need someone so I don't have to be alone anymore."

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"The patients!" Akane stood, her fatigue forgotten. Her legs reminded her and she slumped against the wall for support. Konatsu and Shampoo stared at her with a mix of confusion and concern.

"What if that thing decides to go after the patients?" she explained.

Konatsu stood more slowly, cradling the cat in his arms. "It could have already done that if it wanted to," he said softly.

"And it still could," the Tendo girl retorted, her anger bubbling to the surface again. "We have to do something. Just because the monster hasn't hurt them doesn't mean it won't. We can't just sit around waiting, hoping things will turn out."

Akane wished she could erase the edge in her words as she saw the ninja's expression harden. He'd changed. He wasn't going to meekly follow orders anymore and when he spoke, there was anger in his voice.

"And just what are we supposed to do, then? Tell me, just what are we supposed to do? None of us have weapons, I'm still injured, you can barely stand, and Shampoo...Shampoo is..." He hugged the cat close and fought against the tears. The silence lasted for a few heartbeats, then the ninja took a deep breath that contained the ghost of a sob. He faced Akane and there was something grim in his eyes and his tight expressionless mouth. His whispered words seemed as loud as a shout.

"Why shouldn't we wait? Isn't that what you're good at, Akane, waiting? Waiting for someone else to come rescue you."

"Wha...?"

"I watched. I listened. I heard Ukyou and Ranma chatter away while he devoured okonomiyaki like a starving man. I overheard the Kunos ranting away in their big empty house. I listened to the Amazons scheme in the darkness. I heard endless squabbles at your dojo. I was content to stay in the shadows, to sit there and watch and listen, it's what I was taught to do."

He was silent for a moment and Akane didn't reply. She wasn't sure what the boy was trying to say or even if the ninja knew. He took another breath and continued. He sounded old and tired.

"And I remember it all. People say you used to fight all the time, but there was nothing left of that Akane by the time got here. You don't fight anymore, you wait for Ranma or Ryouga or some other guy to come rescue you whenever you get kidnapped. You never fought back, you never took any risks, you let others take them for you and you expected it as your right instead of valuing it. Are you weak, like I am, or did you just come to expect that he, that Ranma, would always be there?"

"I..."

"Now you ran to him again, calling him for help again, so why not sit there and wait for him?"

"It's not like that." The edge was back in Akane's voice. "I called him because I'm not going to let pride get in the way of helping people. I'm not going to wait because," her voice broke, "because I don't know if he'll get here in time. I don't know if he'll even come."

"Because you know he's with her." Konatsu's voice was full of sympathy, even as his heart was torn between joy for the friends that freed him from his past and sorrow that he would never be that close to either of them.

"Don't worry, he'll come, they'll both come, you know that." Konatsu gave a tired smile. "Maybe now you understand how it was for her, never knowing when or if she could see him again. You could see Ranma every moment from the time you woke up until the time you went to bed. All she got were a few minutes a day to be with him, and she treasured every one of them."

"Absence makes the heart grow fonder?" Akane parroted the old saying, uncertain if she believed it.

"No, but sometimes it takes losing something to make us understand how much we truly want and need it, how many opportunities we missed, how much we took for granted. Ukyou learned just how important Ranma was to her when she was six. It took me so long to realize that. Those moments that were so precious to her, when she did see him, when he did come by, the way her face lit up like it never did for me, and when he wasn't there, her thoughts and her words kept coming back to him."

"I couldn't match that. I couldn't take his place. Did you see the way she fought for him in that battle at the school? Even when he hurt her, she would have died for him, she would have died to be with him. She...she almost did. Do I...do I love them that much? I don't know, Akane. I think I could, even though I'm not a fighter, but look at us, look at the way we are now. If we try to fight this thing, I think we'll all die. I hope I'd do that for Ukyou or Ranma, but can I do that for strangers?"

"It's a martial artist's duty to help others." Akane's voice was soft, gentle, wistful, sad.

"I'm not much of a martial artist, Akane. Those times I do fight, I just seem to hurt people. I'm not much of a man, either, I don't think I know how to be one any more." He still couldn't express his own confused feelings. "I don't think I can do this, Akane. Maybe...maybe...if I didn't have to protect Shampoo, then I..."

The Tendo girl didn't reply at first. If what she felt and Miyo believed was true, she had another life depending on her, a life more defenseless than Shampoo, a life she didn't have the right to risk, but she couldn't ignore the patients or the hospital staff.

"We...we still have to do something, Konatsu, because it's the right thing to do. You know they'd do it. I...we..." She focused on the unusually silent cat that Konatsu clutched in his arms. She'd almost forgotten Shampoo. "We all know Ranma has helped us before, and Ukyou would, too."

"You're right, Konatsu, this isn't a fight we can win with martial arts, but that doesn't mean we can't win. We just need to be clever. We have to try, for our own sakes as much as for these people."

The ninja nodded quietly, but didn't speak. He looked expectantly at Akane, waiting to hear how they could save the patients. Unfortunately, she hadn't thought that far yet.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"It's all about choices, isn't it?"

No one answered her. Tatewaki was slumped in a chair, finally claimed by exhaustion. No one saw Kodachi's faint smile. She stood and stretched, then began her regular exercise routine. Though her movements were silent, her thoughts were not.

_Sagegami had no choice._

Memories returned of a little sister so graceful and beautiful and kind that no one could hate her, not even the older sister supplanted in everyone's attentions. All that was ended by one careless driver in a spray of blood. She recalled repeated visits to a pale girl with raven dark hair, whose coma ended slowly and inevitably in a death that took weeks in coming.

_The doctors meant well, but they only prolonged her death, not her life._

Kodachi sighed.

_Mother made her choice to follow Sageo-chan and she didn't give the doctors a chance to draw it out. Father chose his own way to withdraw from the world, slowly numbing himself to reality until his own dream world, a world of whims and madness was real, to him at least. I tried both their methods, but neither was right for me, I see that now._

That still left her uncertain about the future; about what future she would choose. She was still mulling it over when the phone rang.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

He was the sensible, prudent one. Except for the derangement of Kasumi's presence, he remained calm and self-controlled. He never acted rashly. He always thought things through. He was very patient. He'd stayed focused throughout his attempts to reach help, but now all he could do was wait and hope and pray that help was coming and that it would arrive soon enough to matter. He knew it was best to wait for the help that could banish or destroy this Mamono.

Of course, he never thought very clearly when Kasumi was concerned. If it had been anyone but her, he would have been alright. There she stood, or more precisely a black waxen effigy of the girl, silent and unmoving as stone. He felt his mind begin to slip away, as he tried to maintain control.

He'd found her again. He sensed she was still alive, but he couldn't do anything to help. Tofu stared at his empty useless hands and shuddered. His medical training meant nothing; it couldn't save her. His martial arts skills meant he could sense Kasumi's life force, but they also meant he could feel it slowly fading. This was the night he lost Nabiki, with the pain magnified a thousandfold by his feelings for Kasumi.

He couldn't pull his eyes or heart away from her, he couldn't leave her alone in the darkness, but he couldn't end it for her, either.

His hand reached forward, trembling, longing to caress her cheek, to pull her close and never let her go. His mouth was dry and empty; no words could express how he felt. He didn't see the lines of darkness snaking across the floor, probing towards his anguish.

He couldn't hear the fire alarm shatter the silence.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"I don't wanna go there." Ranma exhaled, his breath a fading puff of whiteness. The hospital loomed less than a block away. There were no signs of the Mamono that Akane had warned them about over the telephone.

"But you'll do it." Ukyou brought her face close, feeling his breath on her face. She saw his eyes, haunted by death and pain, by memories of the price Nabiki and Shampoo paid. "I know you will. It's one of the reasons I love you."

He matched her gaze, no longer afraid of it or her words. He smiled, but the pain still shaded his eyes. "Thanks. It might be safer if you waited," he sighed, "but you ain't gonna do that."

"I never was too smart when you were involved, Ranchan."

He laughed and his second smile was real. "We ready to do this, Ucchan?"

She kissed him fiercely, pulling away only when she needed air. "Now we're ready."

He held her close as she murmured the transformation chant. For a moment he felt warm skin pressed against his chest, traced the muscles of her back with his hands, before rich purple silk formed between them.

"Thanks for helping me cover up, Ranchan. The dress was bad enough."

He opened his mouth, but the clamor of the fire alarm overwhelmed his words.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Akane had expected the alarm; after all, she'd set it off. It wasn't a perfect plan, someone could get hurt in the rush to escape. Yet it was also the fastest way to clear everyone from the building, and if they stayed the Mamono would do a lot more than hurt people.

She looked at the ninja and the cat that was a girl. They said nothing; they hadn't come up with any better ideas. They had to trust the hospital staff to keep things calm and organized, but Akane worried about the Mamono's abilities and what it might do to cause panic.

She forced one exhausted leg to take a step, then followed with the other. A glance back showed the others hadn't moved.

"Come on, we have to help them evacuate the patients."

"Mrow, " Shampoo agreed emphatically. Konatsu said nothing, but he followed Akane.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Shinrou was significantly less than happy. It had been extremely painful when Akane escaped and Ryouga's and Kasumi's resistance were draining it of energy, instead of feeding the creature. It was willing to let most of the hospital patients and staff go for now. They'd be easy to acquire once the real opponents were eliminated.

The creature had been considering Konatsu when it sensed the Mamono Hunter's sudden appearance and approach. It remembered her and the boy who was her source of strength and weakness, recalled how close it had come to seizing both of them. Now, both seemed stronger and Shinrou considered fleeing.

Without her powers or alone, the Mamono Hunter could have been wrapped in her fears and destroyed. But she wasn't alone anymore and Shinrou knew it needed to be cautious or she could destroy it. Deception and confusion would be the best tools and it didn't dare strike directly. It didn't need to. The boy was not as well shielded and Shinrou sensed that if it destroyed him it would destroy the Mamono Hunter.

Its puppets would serve for decoys, expendable if necessary, while Shinrou finished off the true danger.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Doctors and nurses did their best, but the frightened people flooded out of the exits in semi-controlled waves. In their rush someone was caught up in the crowd, torn away from his companions, and dumped sobbing into the snow.

"Konatsu?" Ukyou knelt beside him while Ranma kept watch for danger.

The ninja shook his head as tears dropped softly into the snow. The bandage around his head was covered in grease and blood and his arms trembled as they tried to support his weight. He barely sensed Ukyou murmuring or the scarlet glow of her Yoma ring. Fatigue and injury vanished, but not the pain. He shook his head again.

"Please, Konatsu," his employer urged. "We have to know what's going on so we can help."

"Sh...Shampoo...she...I wasn't strong enough. I lost her...lost her in that crowd."

"That's okay. I'm sure we'll find her."

"She was a cat." The ninja shuddered, imagining the helpless girl beneath the feet of the mob. Ukyou turned pale and Ranma looked grim. They almost forgot about the Mamono, but it hadn't forgotten them.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

She didn't know which was worse, the oppressive darkness or the weight pressing down on her, forcing her breath away. She was too weak to fight anymore; too weak to free herself, let alone help anyone else.

She couldn't even scream.

Being dropped from Konatsu's straining arms was bad, being partially trampled by the mob was worse, but Shampoo had received more damage during some of her training. The deepest wounds were to her pride, for Akane had protected her and paid the price for it. Miyo had predicted the Tendo girl would save others, but she hadn't said anything about Akane's fate. Now the cat lay pinned beneath her would-be rescuer's unconscious form and the girl's weight was slowly crushing Shampoo's breath away.

_At least on the ice I would have died a warrior's death. This isn't the way an Amazon should die._

In the stories, the Amazon warrior always saved her village and left this world surrounded by ranks of slain enemies who would serve her in the next life. Fate seemed unwilling to grant Shampoo a single shred of that glory or dignity.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

_Calm._

It wasn't working.

_Breathe slowly, deeply, evenly. Focus on the rhythm of life. Feel your blood flowing softly like an endless sea. Let the cares, the worries go._

The darkness had touched Tofu, but he refused to let it claim him. Shadowy tendrils clung to his leg and he teetered on the edge of the abyss, but he still resisted.

_It's alright. It will be alright. Patience. Wait for Ukyou and she will set us free._

He wanted to close his eyes; it would help him focus inward and resist the Mamono's touch. He couldn't do that. He couldn't look away from Kasumi. The Mamono's web of darkness still covered her, but he felt her inside, shining like a star, enduring with patience until the light would come again.

_Breathe. Focus. You can't save her if you let this thing take you._

The darkness inched upward, probing the edges of his fears, seeking to climb higher, and slowly it was eroding his control. All he could do was slow its inevitable progress.

_That's enough. Buy enough time that they can save Kasumi. That's all that matters. Keep it busy till they save her._

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Ranma felt the Shimi-Seki stone pulse a soundless scream of warning. He flipped backwards over the battered remains of a phone booth and landed in a crouch. The crowd scattered like leaves in the wind and he saw his attacker.

He recognized the movements, he'd fought Ryouga too many times not to, but the Lost Boy's actions were slower, if only by a fraction. The darkness that covered him hadn't affected the boy's strength, though; the pavement had shattered beneath his blow.

"Ranchan!"

"I'm okay," he called back.

He didn't look at her. He couldn't take that chance with an opponent of Ryouga's strength and skill. The stone pulsed again, echoing his own knowledge of the Lost Boy's moves, and his ability to sense the muted pattern of the other boy's chi. Ranma spun lightly to the side, letting his opponent's blow pass through emptiness.

He danced backwards, avoiding repeated blows in a strange silence empty of Ryouga's usual threats. It seemed eerily similar to his last battle with Kodachi. Somewhere behind him Ukyou chanted faintly, preparing to free Ryouga from the Mamono. Ryouga paused unexpectedly and Ranma used that time. In a fluid movement almost too swift to be seen, he removed the Shimi-Seki pendant and threw it over his shoulder. Pale blue stone glittered in the faint light as it arced away from him.

His fiancée was too busy to notice, but he'd planned for that.

"Konatsu, catch the stone. Ucchan's gonna need it."

Then something struck him from behind. He hadn't sensed Lin-Lin's movements. Where there should have been a pattern of chi, a swirl of life energies, there was emptiness. In spite of that, the girl seemed stronger than before and she clung to him, pinning his arms as Ryouga swung again. Ukyou screamed Ranma's name as he leapt over the attack.

He twisted as he fell, but the Amazon clung to him tenaciously. She swung her weight to the side, throwing him off balance and they landed heavily, knocking the wind out of him. Ryouga swung at him, but he rolled away from the blow. Concrete shattered, peppering Ranma with debris, but neither of his opponents reacted to the flying rubble.

Ukyou stepped forward, but Konatsu caught her and gently slipped the pendant around her neck. "Now you can help him. I'll keep the crowd away so you can do this."

"Thanks."

"I know when I'm not needed," he whispered, but Ukyou didn't hear him, her heart was full of someone else. He turned, only to see the bystanders had all wisely fled.

"I guess I'm really not needed." His shoulders slumped and he stared at nothing. He barely heard the conflict behind him.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

The ceiling detonated and debris rained around Tofu. He wanted to move, but his feet were pinned to the floor, wrapped in Shinrou's web of fear, forced to stand helpless and pray that Kasumi would be unharmed. The darkness edged upwards, claiming more of him. If Kasumi had been hurt the Mamono would have finished its job.

But Kasumi wasn't injured. The same could not be said for the cat and the girl who plunged through the broken ceiling. Shampoo had escaped smothering by using the breaking point technique, but even healthy cats don't always land on their feet.

Shampoo hissed in pain and looked around the room. Akane lay unconscious. Another girl was a waxen effigy in black, and the same dark substance had climbed to Tofu's waist.

"Get out. It's not safe," the doctor whispered urgently. "Please."

Shampoo hissed in frustration this time, hating her curse and her injuries, wishing she could face this battle as a warrior. Fate had robbed her of strength, of reach, of movement, of even speech. She couldn't win this fight.

That didn't mean she was going to quit.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Lin-Lin's arms were dark bands of iron contracting across Ranma's chest, squeezing the air from his lungs while the clinging darkness burrowed into his back, probing for his heart. He heard Ukyou scream his name, but she seemed so far away. He strained to hear or even see her as something dark began to cloud his vision.

Shinrou could have forced its puppet Ryouga to crush the boy, but it was more satisfying to use Ranma's buried fears to do that. The monster pulled at a thread, finding an imagined future instead of a tortured past.

Ranma stood alone on a sidewalk, utterly alone in spite of the uncaring holiday crowd pushing past. Ukyou's restaurant stood in silent, empty accusation. He'd given her ten years of pain, until one night she disappeared without word of explanation. Dark rumors claimed she could be found in Kansai, at least the tattered remains left after the angry sea had cast them against the rocks along the shore.

The Neko Hanten was empty, too, deserted for weeks and Shampoo hadn't needed the Reversal Jewel to tell Ranma she never wanted to see him again. Akane had done the same, punctuating her words with only slightly more physical violence. His mother had disappeared as well, saying he was no son of hers, that he was no man at all.

He hadn't chosen. He'd been afraid to, afraid to lose any of the few friends he had, and he'd needed them, needed them all to reinforce his confidence, needed the girls as living proof that he was a man, that he really was a man. If strong, beautiful girls were willing to do that, he had to be a man.

Didn't he?

Shinrou pulled another thread. Ranma had so many layers to his fears, and surely if it explored them all, the boy could be destroyed, and after him the Mamono Hunter.

_I'm a man. A real man. One you'd be proud of, Mom._

It was hard to convince himself when he turned into a girl half the time and Shinrou found other memories that made it harder. Ranma's first kiss...was from a boy, Mikado Sanzenin. He was almost willing to get another from Tatewaki Kuno during an actual date, when the Blue Thunder had blundered on to a wish-granting sword. And the time he thought he was a girl, a belief that lasted even when he was in boy form. Akane was embarrassed by his actions at the time, but later she thought it humorous.

_I didn't. Was it just a way to run from all my problems, all the pressures everyone put on me? Or did it mean I really wanted to be a girl?_

He had reasons to ask himself. Those memories were buried, buried deep, but they hadn't died and they stirred in their restless grave.

_No! I wouldn't do that!_

But he had. He had been in love with a boy.

_No, no, I wasn't!_

It began with a simple mark on his body, but it grew until he was willing to die for that love.

_It wasn't me. It was that stupid magic Koi Fishing Rod. I...I couldn't...couldn't love him...I couldn't...not Ryouga...not another guy._

But he had, if only for a short while, and the fear he couldn't bury, the fear that never left him, was that some part of those feelings were his, not just the effects of the magic Ryouga had accidentally used on him.

Shinrou pulled another thread, so closely twined with this one.

_No! It wasn't ...I couldn't...I didn't..._

A different incident, the same fear, more than doubled by repetition. The magic Umbrella of Love. Not the moment when Ukyou was barely under it and he was reduced to babbling.

_Kami-sama, please,_ he pled.

Trapped beneath the umbrella, holding hands with Kuno, overwhelmed with feelings for another man, until Ukyou had knocked him clear with her battle spatula. The bile rose in his throat, just like it had after his fiancée freed him, but this time the scene remained frozen, endlessly replayed by something darker than the night.

Ranma stumbled forward and fell to his knees as the Lost Boy loomed above him. He jerked his head to the side, staring at the pavement, unwilling to see his opponent, unwilling to take the chance that Shinrou's whispers might be true.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Akane felt a rough tongue on her face, and blinked.

"Ranma?"

"Mrew?" It was Shampoo.

The Tendo girl groaned. "Sorry, I don't feel so good." She tasted blood in her mouth, warm and salty. At least nothing seemed to be broken. Akane rolled onto her back, closed her eyes, and sighed.

"Mrow!"

"Oh, be quiet, Shampoo. Just let me rest. I'm so tired."

Akane's eyes snapped open. There, to the left. Her eyes flickered that way. She felt more than saw that the form encased in darkness was Kasumi. Much of Tofu remained visible, and she sensed him struggling against his fears.

"Mrow," Shampoo repeated softly.

"Sorry. I guess we need to get help." She felt a strange calmness, a mix of fatigue and hope.

Akane climbed to her hands and knees. The effort left her panting. She reached a trembling hand towards the cat and pulled the protesting feline towards her. The effort nearly made her fall on her face.

"C'mon, Shampoo. I can't risk anything happening to you or the kid." She leaned against the wall, struggling to pull herself to her feet. She nearly fell again, but caught herself.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

It was like suddenly seeing the whole spectrum after years of colorblindness. Her combat training allowed her to sense others' chi, to feel their life force, their battle aura. This was a thousand times more. Ukyou knew the Shimi-Seki stone would enhance her mystic abilities, but it was something else to experience it.

She saw the world as she'd never seen it before. She saw Ranma as she'd never seen him before. She sensed his joys and sorrows and all the feelings he kept bottled up inside as glowing lights and strange shadows whose colors she couldn't fully describe. Beneath it all, she sensed the vibrancy and passion, the honor and the honesty that had drawn her to him, once she'd let go of her anger and seen past his faults to the real Ranma.

But she didn't have time to taste the new sensations. Ryouga was a feeble fading glow of light buried in the darkness and from Lin-Lin she sensed nothing at all. Ukyou felt a coldness deeper than the weather. She didn't notice the single tear slip down her cheek.

And something froze her to the core. There was no sign of the Mamono, it must be hiding, but the darkness that was and wasn't Lin-Lin still clung like a vise to Ranma. That darkness was spreading, covering the light that was her fiancé, trying to extinguish the life within.

"No." The first time was a whisper. The second was a shout as she erased the distance between them. While she still drew breath, she wouldn't let the darkness claim him again.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

The monster's puppet, Ryouga, stepped back, though he remained poised to strike. Ranma struggled against the ebon bindings, but he couldn't break their hold.

_It's waiting for Ucchan to get here, then he'll try to pulp me._

Then realization struck and a new, greater fear enfolded him.

_It's not trying to kill me. The monster's waiting for Ucchan to get close. It's using me as bait so it can kill her._

He couldn't speak; he seemed to be robbed of speech, unable to shout a warning. He raised his hands, fingers curled like claws. The only way out now was madness, descent through the primal terror of a hunted being to the feral strength of the Cat Fist state. But that meant losing control, surrendering part of what he was to the mindless brutality of the beast and praying he'd still be in control when the madness passed.

That was another of his fears. He'd never truly harmed anyone in that state. He'd still managed to sense the difference between friends and foes.

_What if I can't this time?_

The thought made his stomach twist. His heart trembled, imaging sightless gray eyes staring at the sky, blood pooling in the snow, something warm and salty and raw between his teeth, steam rising from a torn thing that had been a friend and perhaps even more, but was now only cooling meat. Ranma gagged, feeling the contents of his stomach rise in revolt.

He sensed that Shinrou had driven him into the Cat Fist State when Lin-Lin and Ran-Ran attacked. Now he felt the cats screaming, the glowing eyes burning through him, the needle teeth shredding his flesh and soul. And through it all he felt the mocking presence of the Mamono. It had learned from past mistakes. This time it would drive him deeper into the fear, past the point of any self-control, so deep he might never return.

_No._

He was tired and he was still afraid, but there was grim determination in Ranma's soul.

_Even if I die, even if I fail again, I ain't gonna ever, ever do that to Ucchan._

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Konatsu blinked. The hospital door opened and a wheelchair slid softly through the doorway. Shampoo sat in it with Akane cradled unconscious in her lap. He hurried forward, then stopped in confusion.

"Where are your clothes, Shampoo?"

"There wasn't time to go looking for them and a hospital robe doesn't cover much anyway. Besides, Akane passed out again and I needed to get help for her."

"But..." The ninja looked confused.

"I had hours to read about magical healing on Ukyou's computer while I waited for one of you to come home from school. I know what it can and can't do. I probably know more about it than she does. I could probably quote it in my sleep."

Konatsu nodded mutely, trying not to stare at Shampoo's exposed chest or speculate about parts hidden beneath Akane's unconscious form.

"I...uh...I'll go get them, um, her...Ukyou that is." He blushed as he realized Shampoo had noticed him noticing her. She smiled broadly and for a moment Konatsu felt like a mouse in front of a hungry cat.

"You may dress like a girl, but you still think like a boy, Airen." There was laughter in her voice. "Go get help for Akane and I promise to scrub your back when you get cleaned up afterwards."

The ninja blushed so fiercely he was certain his footprints would melt holes in the snow.

"You be a good ninja and I'll even scrub your front," Shampoo purred.

Konatsu gave a strangled cry and fled in confusion while the Chinese girl frowned at his retreating back. Ranma had acted the same way, too. She wondered why Japanese men were so shy.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

She gave a wordless scream of rage and swung her battle spatula. The weapon rang from the force of the blow as Lin-Lin's dark shrouded form sailed through the air, impacting into the wall hard enough to crack the concrete, then dropping limply to the ground. The shorter teen's body rose slowly to its feet, but didn't advance. It didn't need to.

"No," Ukyou whispered.

Ranma was on his knees, struggling to break free from the tendrils of darkness still stretching between Lin-Lin and himself. She saw and felt the darkness growing, attempting to extinguish the light of Ranma's soul. She dropped her soulblade. Mini spatulas appeared between her fingers and the gems of the Yoma ring pulsed, charging the missiles with magical energy. A fiery nimbus formed around them.

"Ucchan!"

She spun just in time to see Ryouga's swing, then she felt Ranma's foot strike the back of her leg and she was falling away from her attacker. Time seemed to slow and she saw the Lost Boy's fist, its inky blackness illumined by blue and white light pulsing from the Shimi-Seki pendant she wore, and knew it would miss. A lone shuriken, the last weapon Konatsu carried, lodged in Ryouga's wrist, but he didn't react. Reflexively, she used the momentum of her fall to spin away from her attacker. She felt the snow scrunch beneath her shoulder blades and continued the backward roll, coming to her feet well out of reach of her opponent.

Ranma was on his feet again, straining against the web of darkness, trying to move between her and Ryouga. The Lost Boy advanced slowly and she sensed the emptiness that was Lin-Lin closing rapidly from behind. Mini spatulas whistled through the air, striking the strands connecting the Chinese girl to Ranma. Lin-Lin fell to her knees with a gasp, the first noise she'd made. Ranma stumbled forward as the tension released. He chuckled and advanced toward Ryouga.

"You ready to lose, Pig Boy." The words were confident, but he still felt the Mamono's touch, its darkness still clung to his body and soul. He ignored it, seeking the cold calm center that he used in the Hiryu Shouten Ha and nearly finding it.

"C'mon, P-chan, you can do better than that."

The taunts would normally have driven Ryouga into a blind rage, but he couldn't hear them and the Mamono controlled his movements. Ranma continued to dodge, but wouldn't let his opponent get past him to his fiancée.

Behind him, the glow of magic lit up the night. Ukyou's pendant shone blue-white like cold fire. Crimson and emerald lines of force swirled around the Yoma ring on her upraised left hand. Ukyou murmured the last words of the spell and the summoned energies spiraled forward, striking her intended target.

Ranma stumbled again as the magic struck him. Warm waves of crimson fire danced across him. He saw them flare along his arms and arch between his fingers. Ryouga's form stepped back, shielding sightless eyes with arms dark as night.

But there was no pain, only a warm gentle glow starting in Ranma's heart and flowing outwards, consuming doubt and fear, erasing the last traces of Shinrou's attempt to control him. He laughed, really laughed for the first time in quite a while, and he smiled, certain he sensed the Mamono's weakness.

Konatsu spoke in the lull of battle. "Lady Ukyou, Akane is badly injured. You need to come heal her."

"I'm gonna stay with Ranchan."

"She didn't look good," the ninja insisted. "I don't know if she's going to make it."

"What?" Ukyou hissed. She glanced toward the hospital entrance, then back at Ranma, who was nimbly dodging Ryouga's awkward blows.

"Go help Akane," her fiancé called. "Pig Boy never could beat me and I know how to take this Mamono down, too."

"But..."

"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."

"But what about Ryouga? We've got to save him, too."

"He'd want you to save Akane first. I'll keep this thing busy till you get back."

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Ukyou knelt beside the wheelchair, concern in her eyes. Shampoo had returned to the warmth of the building, but she still cradled Akane in her lap. At least she'd acquired a hospital robe. Ukyou glanced up at the Chinese girl and nodded.

She'd cast the healing spell so many times the day Ikari attacked that it was reflex. Akane's battered, unconscious form was bathed in glowing energies that slowly faded.

"Now it's your turn, Shampoo. I bet you can't wait to walk again."

The Chinese girl smiled, but Konatsu noticed the smile never reached her eyes. "I can wait. Ranma needs you now and I don't want to slow you down."

"But..."

"There isn't time to argue, Ukyou. Just go. You know you want to be with him."

The Kuonji girl nodded and disappeared out the door. Awkward silence followed as Konatsu stared into Shampoo's eyes. "You didn't tell her something. I see it, but she was too worried about him to notice. What didn't you tell her?"

The Chinese girl stared back and he was certain she'd never answer, but she broke his gaze and sighed. "You'll find out anyway. Like I told you, I read the notes Ukyou's grandmother sent to her. I understand how the spell works. It accelerates your body's natural healing to an incredible rate, restoring in moments what would take weeks for your body to repair on its own."

"So there really wasn't time for Ukyou to heal injuries as bad as yours?"

Shampoo shook her head. Moisture glistened in her eyes, but she wasn't actually crying. "No, Airen, that's not the problem. The body doesn't heal that kind of damage. Nerve cells that are destroyed can't be repaired or replaced by the body. I won't ever walk again, no matter how much she uses her magic. It doesn't work that way."

"I'm sorry." His words felt totally inadequate, but the way she smiled made Konatsu believe his words did matter to her.

"I'll tell them later," she promised, "after they finish fighting the Mamono."

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

There was always a risk in battle, but Ranma lived for it. It forced him to do more than he could have done, to be more than he could have been. It challenged him in ways that sparring never could. He almost laughed as he evaded another of Ryouga's blows. It seemed as if his rival was slowing down.

Actually, Ranma was speeding up, his entire body approaching the speed he used in the Kachu Tenshin Amiguriken. The boy seemed to blur as he leapt and spun, evading every move of his attacker, yet staying tantalizingly close enough that Ryouga continued to pursue him.

_No, that's not really Pig Boy, it's something using him like Ikari used me to hurt Ucchan._

Between that and what had happened to Nabiki all those weeks ago, he'd been reluctant to use his chi powers for fear of hurting anyone possessed by a Mamono. But he wasn't afraid anymore.

"Moko Takabisha."

Energy flared and a ball of chi no bigger than his fist flew towards his opponent. Ranma deliberately held back the energy of the attack. If the plan didn't work, he didn't want to really hurt the Lost Boy. The energy struck the other boy's leg and flickered like fire. When it faded, the darkness was gone from that part of the Lost Boy and the tattered ends of darkness writhed like blind worms. Ryouga's pants and the leg inside were unharmed.

Ranma crowed with joy.

_I knew it would work. A Mamono of Fear can't stand up to an attack based on confidence._

He readied a larger blast, but Lin-Lin had moved too close, so he targeted her instead. The girl's body hurtled backwards to slam against the wall and slump bonelessly to the ground.

Ranma flinched and hurried to her side. The Chinese girl was still breathing slowly and evenly. Her pulse was weak, but steady. He smiled, then ducked as Ryouga shattered the wall inches above his head. He scooped up the girl's body and rolled away from the wall.

The Lost Boy spun slowly, limping awkwardly as the darkness sought to flow downward and regain full control of the limb. Ranma hadn't moved very far. There was something wrong about the way Lin-Lin lolled in his arms like a broken doll. He looked up to see Ukyou running toward him and smiled.

Then Ryouga tapped the ground. The boy said nothing, certainly not Bakusai Tenketsu, but the ground shattered beneath them, and they plunged into the earth.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

She screamed his name, but kept running. She didn't hesitate when she reached the jagged edge of the pit, but sprang into the darkness. She splashed into icy water that rose almost to her knees. The curved concrete sides showed this must be a storm drain of some kind. The water didn't feel clean, but it lacked the stench of the sewers.

"Ranchan!" Muted noises echoed out of the darkness and she prayed he would be alright. She gestured and a ball of crimson light hung in the air. The glow seemed pale and feeble, making the sluggish water flowing around the broken chunks of debris look like clotted blood.

"Ranchan." This time it was a whisper. A body floated slowly towards her, drifting face down in the gentle current. Hair and clothing looked red in the dim light and the clothing was definitely Chinese.

She felt her heart stop. Her breath exhaled in a strangled gasp and she fell to her knees in the icy water. Ukyou turned the body over and saw the blank staring eyes and the slack lifeless mouth. She pressed her lips to those of the shorter girl, trying to breathe life back into the limp body.

Lin-Lin might have tried to kill her before, but she still fought to keep the Chinese girl's life from fading away.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

It was dark as tar and coated him like a second skin, but Ranma couldn't see the Mamono that enfolded him. One moment he was pinned beneath the water by Ryouga's strength powered by the remorseless will of the Mamono. He'd felt his lungs blazing as they starved for air, his ribs creaking as Ryouga bore down on him, heard his blood pounding in his ears.

Then there was silence, dark and empty as the grave. The pain was gone as well. It was as if the earth itself had entombed him. The Mamono had been waiting, hiding, using its puppets to lure him into the wrong place, then shatter the earth so he could fall into the monster's grasp.

_Am I dead?_

No one answered. He felt a strange peace. He didn't have to struggle anymore, didn't have to fail anymore.

_That's what I'm really afraid of. Battles were easy, even if I lost, I knew I was good enough to come back and win eventually. But I was so afraid Mom would think I failed that I hid from her, even though it hurt her, and I kept it up till I got more afraid of hurting her again. I never chose a fiancée because I knew I couldn't win and if I did choose I'd hurt people I cared about. But not choosing just hurt them more and being afraid to fail guaranteed I would._

_The whole endless dance was my fault and it wasn't going to change until I had the guts to choose. They all say they love me, except the one who's afraid to admit it. All of 'em but Kodachi have done a lot to try to help me. Shampoo and Ucchan are the only ones who forgive me. Ucchan's the only one who really trusts me._

_So why did I make it so hard? I'm tired, but I ain't quitting. I'm tired of being afraid. I don't know if I got what it takes to make this kinda stuff work, but I'm gonna try._

"Please come back, Ranchan."

_Was that real or did I dream it?_

"Please, I need you."

_Doesn't matter, it's what she'd say._

He couldn't see her long dark hair, her eager smile, or the longing in her eyes. He couldn't feel her lips against his or her warmth as he held her close. He couldn't hear her words, but he held them in his heart, and she gave him the confidence to do this.

He felt the power calling, calling to be used, and he finally felt the Mamono struggling, trying to batter his will away, repeating the fears he'd faced before. His mouth curved in a smile no one could see.

_You had your chance, you bastard. Now it's my turn._

"Moko Takabisha!"

Shinrou struggled to contain the power, struggled and failed. Folds of darkness tore like rotten cloth, and Ranma sensed more than heard the creature screaming as the expanding sphere of chi annihilated it.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Lady Ukyou?"

Konatsu could barely see her by the reddish glow. She knelt in the water below holding someone in her arms.

"Can I help?" he added, moving to the edge of the shattered opening.

"Here, take Lin-Lin." The smaller girl's body flew into his arms, nearly knocking the ninja prone. She felt limp in his arms, but she was breathing steadily. The eyes were open, but strangely unfocused.

"Ukyou?"

She'd disappeared upstream, looking for Ranma. Konatsu sighed and lifted the Chinese girl in his arms. He was still turning away when the energy flared, filling the area below. The ninja threw himself prone, covering the Chinese girl's body with his own, as icy water fountained from the depths below.

He reached the edge before the light faded. No light, no sound came from below.

"Lady Ukyou?"

She didn't answer.

"Lord Ranma?"

He didn't either.

Konatsu turned sadly away, recalling Ranma's recent Perfect Shishi Hokoudan. _So it's over. I'm never going to see them again._ He wiped away the tears, imagining them laughing together.

It wasn't his imagination.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Yes!"

"What?"

"I said yes. Of course, it's yes. How could it be anything else?"

Tofu had almost forgotten the question. Moments ago the darkness that was Shinrou had almost enfolded him. Now all that remained was a black powdery grit that flaked away from him. Kasumi was covered in the same dark residue, but she looked beautiful anyway. It scrunched forgotten beneath her feet as she hurled herself into his arms.

He didn't remember much after that, but he was dimly aware of his glasses fogging up the first time she kissed him.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Akane?"

She blinked her eyes and tried to focus, but there were so many people.

She lay on a hospital bed and Kasumi knelt by her side, clearly relieved. Tofu stood behind her sister. Lipstick marks explained, but did not hide the goofy look on his face. There were tears in his sleeve, but his injuries were gone, thanks to Ukyou.

"How?" Akane took a breath. "Where's Shampoo? Is she..."

"She's making sure Lin-Lin's okay," Ranma replied.

Akane's eyes shifted left. Ranma and Ukyou were soaking wet and it wasn't till later she realized how close they stood to each other. She felt a twinge of jealousy over how feminine they both looked.

She might have felt the same about Konatsu, but he held a wet and weary P-chan. The pig bweed happily and jumped into her arms. She called his name as he snuggled close.

When she looked up, everyone was staring, including Shampoo who had just returned. Even Tofu was shocked into sensibility and Akane realized she'd just called Ryouga by his **real** name.

Kasumi turned to Ukyou. "My sister must have hit her head. She can't even tell the difference between her pet and Ryouga. Please, you need to heal her."

"I...um..." Ukyou stared at the floor.

Kasumi turned back when she heard her sister sigh.

"I guess I'd better tell you." P-chan squealed a frantic negative, which Akane ignored. "It was going to come out anyway. Ukyou found out the day we fought that second Mamono at the school, however long ago that was. It feels like weeks."

"Ukyou found out what a couple days ago?"

"Jusenkyou curse. Spring of Drowned Black Pig." All eyes turned to Shampoo as she spoke. "What, you didn't know?"

"Oh my." Kasumi looked like she wanted to faint and Dr. Tofu caught her. "My...my little sister has been sleeping with Ryouga for over a year." P-chan tried to hide in Akane's lap while she wished the bed would swallow her up.

"It's not like that, Kasumi," Ranma interrupted.

The older Tendo girl turned to him. "You knew? And Ukyou just found out. And Shampoo knows."

"And Mousse," the Chinese girl added, "And my father. And great-grandmother."

P-chan put his head down and covered it with his front hooves. When death came, he didn't want to see it.

"And Pops and the Jusenkyou guide," Ranma admitted. "Wait a minute; Pantyhose Tarou has gotta know."

Shampoo nodded. "When he was tracking down and attacking the male curse victims."

"Yeah, he attacked Ryouga right after he beat up Mousse," Ranma finished. "Those Musk guys have gotta know, too."

"Does everyone know but me?" Kasumi whispered.

Tofu shook his head.

Konatsu nodded. "Sorry, but I'm a ninja. It's my job to know secrets."

His statement was greeted by mass silence that was eventually broken by Ukyou's quiet whisper. "Ranchan, I think we should leave them to work this out."

He nodded, laughed nervously, and spoke much too loudly. "Um, yeah, me and Ucchan gotta go get outta these wet clothes and take a hot shower so, um, we'll be seeing you."

"You mean that, Ranchan?" the girl beamed. He blinked in confusion as his fiancée eagerly dragged him away. That meant they missed Shampoo giving Akane the Kiss of Life for saving hers and seeing Kasumi, Akane, and P-chan faint in unison. Konatsu followed moments later.


	13. Yokkyuu Part 1

Mamono Hunter Ukyou

Yokkyuu: Flame of Desire

Part 1

By Edward A. Simons

Based on characters and situations created by Takahashi Rumiko. Ranma 1/2 and characters copyright Shogakukan, Kitty Animation Circle, and Takahashi Rumiko. Devil Hunter Yohko and characters copyright NCS, Toho Company, LTD., and Mad House. This story revised 2005 by Edward Simons.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

You are not wrong, who deem

That my days have been a dream;

All that we see or seem

Is but a dream within a dream.

Edgar Allen Poe, "A Dream Within A Dream"

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

His hands were covered in blood, but it was his own. Ranma was getting paid for this, but he didn't care. Devastation surrounded him. One more punch, one more kick and the remains of the warehouse would collapse on his head, burying the boy in a mound of rubble.

That thought flashed through his mind, but he couldn't do it. He remembered all those endless weeks ago, remembered kneeling in the crater outside Furinkan High, certain he'd killed Ukyou, but somehow she'd survived and pulled him back from the edge of destruction.

_ But I can't do the same for her. _

Ranma glanced again at the ruined warehouse, ignoring the beautiful weather outside that hinted at an early spring. They'd paid him to demolish the condemned building and they hadn't asked how. He'd spent most of the day battering away at the walls and supports, trying to batter away the pain in his soul. His fists and feet were torn and bloody from his efforts, but physical pain couldn't erase the ache inside.

_ I'm sorry, Ucchan. I promised...I promised I'd always take care of you. I guess I'm about as good at keeping promises as Pops is. _

He took a final look around, instinctively verifying that no one was inside **this** blast radius, then smiled grimly. It was time to finish this, time for the release the Perfect Shishi Hokoudan would bring.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

It began months earlier in China, the Middle Kingdom, that land of mysteries and magic, in places the modern world forgot, where magic and curses and sorceries were still used and creatures that were not human still walked or flew or swam. But this was older than them all, and darker than the foulest human magic, yet blinding bright as the sun.

An old man lay at the bottom of a pit, still shackled to it, while snow drifted unseen in the winter skies above. Only the occasional twitch of his closed eyes showed that the emaciated wreck still lived and dreamed.

And something called to him in that dream, something that had freed him from the darkness before, when he was sealed in a cave for all those years. Supernatural power that had sustained him beyond hope and granted his desires while mocking them at the same time.

The old man's eyes opened and fire seemed to dance inside them. The sunken cheeks seemed full again; the emaciated frame radiated strength and power. The old man smiled and snapped the steel chain like loops of dry grass. He soared into the air, engulfing himself in the bag that hung above the mouth of the pit.

Happosai cackled as he fondled his silky darlings. Genma and Soun had claimed the old man was possessed by an evil spirit, for that was the only way he could have escaped the trap that should have been his tomb. The two fools were right for once, though that time their perverted master had the strength and the will to maintain control.

This time he was weaker, the Mamono stronger, and the old man might not be able to control the power he'd purchased with another piece of his soul.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

_ Warm, so warm. I've never felt this warm. _

It wasn't the water thundering from the showerhead, pounding like a storm against his body. It was another thundering in his blood, his heart hammering in his chest. He didn't remember how he'd gotten here, but he felt the soft arms wrapped around him, the warm body pressed close. Gentle gray eyes looked longingly into his and his brain became as clouded as the steam-filled shower stall.

"Ranchan?"

He gulped and wondered what to do next. This wasn't what he meant when he said they both needed to get out of their wet clothing and take a hot shower. Ukyou had dragged him away before he could say anything more.

_ At least we still got our clothes on. _

He wondered why and how long that would last. He vaguely remembered her saying something about getting warmed up first and their clothing couldn't get any wetter.

_We got to be somewhere in the hospital. _

But it reminded him of the night in the love hotel. His fiancée had been semiconscious by the time they got to the room and her body had felt like ice. He'd dropped his damp coat, dragged her directly into the shower and set the water as hot he could stand it. He remembered sitting beneath the stream, holding the fiancée that was also his oldest friend, while trying to ignore the way the red silken dress clung to her figure.

_ We stayed there until she felt warm again, until we both felt warm again. It felt so good I almost fell asleep. And then... _

He blushed, recalling how he'd peeled off Ukyou's sodden dress before tucking her into the bed and discovered both more and less than he expected.

_ How was I supposed to know she wasn't wearing nothing but panties under there? _

The temperature in the shower seemed to soar as he recalled nervously wrapping her in his coat and most of the bedding and trying to forget the emphatic proof that Ukyou was a girl.

"Ranchan?"

"Um, ah, Ucchan, this, um, I mean, we shouldn't, it's not, um..." He took a deep breath and tried to assume the icy calmness he used in the Hiryu Shouten Ha. "It's like I said. I wanna do this right." He took another deep breath. "I wanna do what's best for you. That means not doing any of that stuff before marriage."

He wanted to say more, but she collapsed to her knees. Even he could see the tears masked by the falling water. He knelt and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Ucch..."

She twisted away and hunched over. Her shoulders shook as the girl continued sobbing and he reached out to touch her again. Her whisper nearly drowned in the pounding water.

"I'm...I'm a girl. Can't you see that? Can't anybody see that? I'm a girl."

"I know, Ucchan." The purple Chinese dress was molded to her form like a second skin. Her whole pose reminded him of when he first discovered Ukyou's true gender. Even the tears seemed the same.

"Then why...why don't you want me?"

"I do, Ucchan. I do."

She turned, a hunger in her tear-filled eyes and he winced seeing her pain.

"Then why? Why, Ranchan?"

He sighed. "You trust me." It wasn't a question, but she nodded anyway. "I don't wanna mess that up. I know the way you've been hurt before by people. I don't wanna give 'em reasons to say more stuff about you."

"Who cares about other people? I'm not like when I was six. I don't care what anyone thinks, anyone but you. Tell me...tell me, am I really cute?"

"No, Ucchan, you're beautiful."

"I don't need any promises, Ranchan. I know what'll happen after those questions your Mom asked. She's gonna pick someone else as your wife, I know she will. Maybe Kaori, since her family's so rich. Or maybe Shampoo because of all the martial arts her family can teach. Maybe it will be Akane, with her big fancy house and an actual dojo. I know my tiny little restaurant can't match up to that in your mother's mind. I know what she meant by the questions she asked. There's no way she'll ever support my engagement, no way she'll ever let me marry you, but at least I'll get you part of the time, even if I'm just your mistress."

"Ucchan, no," he whispered.

"Not even that," the girl wailed. "I don't need promises or rings or weddings or...or anything like that. I just need you. That's all I ever needed. That's all I want. Please. Please, Ranchan."

His curse was soft and barely audible as he stared at the floor. "I'm sorry, Ucchan, I never meant to hurt you." He took a breath and his voice was louder, firmer. "I never meant to hurt anybody, but that's all I seem to be good at." He looked into her eyes and felt something melt inside. "What I'm trying to say is I...I ain't gonna let anyone make you get stuck with being ** just ** anything. You remember what I said when I found out what me and Pops did to you."

"That wasn't your fault, Ranchan, even if I was still too angry to see it then, and yes I remember what you said. Something about you weren't gonna make excuses and I could do what I wanted with you."

"Well, do you wanna marry me, Ucchan?"

"Of course I do, you dummy!"

"Okay then, we can wait. It'll only be a few years till we're old enough that we can do it no matter what Pops or my Mom or anybody but us wants and once we do most of the others will give up." His voice dropped to a whisper again. "At least I hope they will."

Ukyou hugged him, holding him like she never wanted to let go.

"Ranchan?" He didn't see the fire in her eyes, but he heard it in her voice. "You said I could do **whatever** I wanted with you."

_ Uh-oh. _

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"You awake, Airen."

It wasn't a question, so Konatsu opened his eyes. Shampoo sat in a wheelchair near his bed, still wearing the flimsy hospital gown, yet looking as proud, as confident as she normally did. There was something in her eyes, concern perhaps.

"Why did you faint, Airen? Or should I say pretend to faint?"

"It's what I was taught to do," the ninja replied. "The cute girlish thing is to faint when something very embarrassing happens. All those people thinking Akane was doing more than just sleeping when she was with Ryouga and then you kissing her definitely called for fainting. Besides, people are more likely to reveal secrets when they think you're unconscious."

"You Japanese have strange ideas about how a woman is supposed to act."

"As opposed to occasionally challenging people to battles to the death?"

Shampoo smiled wryly and shrugged.

"So why did you kiss Akane?" Konatsu asked.

"You know about the Kiss of Death and the Kiss of Marriage?"

"Ukyou and Ranma discussed it."

"This was the Kiss of Life. Akane saved my life, so she earned it." She saw the question in his expression. "It means the Kiss of Death against her is cancelled."

"You might have explained that to them, Shampoo."

"Is that why they fainted?"

Konatsu just sighed.

"Wait, I just remembered something, Airen."

"What is it?" the boy replied.

"You saved my life, too. After you defeated me in battle, you carried my cursed form away from the canal until you found Dr. Tofu."

"Umm, Shampoo, isn't the Kiss of Life only supposed to be given to someone you already gave the Kiss of Death to?"

"Silly Airen, sometimes an Amazon kisses a man because she wants to, not because of some stupid rule."

_ Uh-oh. _

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Do you truly believe they will release you from the hospital so soon?"

"Of course, Brother. There are **some** advantages to being rich."

Tatewaki Kuno wasn't pleased with the mocking tone of his sister's voice, but she seemed to have escaped from whatever darkness her soul had been trapped in.

_ Another reason for vengeance against that foul sorcerer Saotome for another heart he ensnared in his vile web of deceit. My sister is far from the most honorable of women, but even she deserves better than to be driven to the edge of despair by his cruel manipulations. _

Kodachi ignored her brother; he and any words of his were irrelevant. She had a thief to find and punish. Sasuke had called, telling her of the damage to her plants and about following a trained duck back to the Neko Hanten. Someone there must have sent it.

She was long gone by the time her brother began ranting aloud about freeing his true loves Akane Tendo and Ukyou Kuonji.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Tofu put the phone down. "That's the last one." Ran-Ran had sounded relieved, excited, and eager to come see her sister as soon as the weather cleared.

"So what do we tell my father?" Kasumi asked.

Tofu considered. The elder Tendo had cycled from near hysterical with fear when he answered the phone to near hysterical from joy when he learned that Kasumi and Akane were safe. "It might be best to wait until he calms down. Your father seems a little high strung."

Kasumi laughed. "I suppose you're right. I think we can tell him about our plans, but we should wait until he calms down before mentioning what's happened between Ranma and Ukyou or between my sister and Ryouga."

"Are you sure something happened between Akane and Ryouga? Didn't you tell me that he was always the perfect gentleman with her?"

"I said that," Kasumi replied, "but hiding the fact that he's P-chan is not the act of a gentleman. And if he hid that, what else might he be hiding? And Akane knew and she didn't seem to mind." Kasumi thought a moment. "Ranma knew and I think he hated it. He and Ryouga fought so much and there was such anger between them, but whenever anyone asked why they both refused to answer. They...they both had to be doing it for her sake, to protect her reputation, her honor. That's why they couldn't tell anyone."

The doctor frowned. "It still doesn't feel right."

"When Ranma and Ryouga argued or fought, Akane always took Ryouga's side. Always. Why would she do that if there wasn't something more between her and Ryouga?"

"Perhaps." Tofu seemed to be weighing the idea.

"How could she not know? She gave P-chan hot water baths and she never let anyone else do it. It's one of the few things around the house she regularly took responsibility for, except for trying to cook."

"Even if Akane knew Ryouga was P-chan, that doesn't mean the two of them actually did anything," Tofu reassured.

"You know what my sister's like. Most people only see it in her anger, but when Akane does express her feelings she expresses them passionately, she holds nothing back, just like Father."

"Is that why Ranma moved into my place?"

"Would you still stay if your fiancée was sleeping with another man every night? How could my sister do that to Ranma! What else has she been hiding?"

Tofu shook his head. "It still feels wrong. Ranma wasn't angry when he came to my place, he was sad."

"Sad? Who wouldn't be in that situation? I know he cared about her, even if he never was good with words."

"No, Ranma was sad because Akane and your father were so angry at him, but he wasn't angry. And if he'd been betrayed, I'm sure he would have been furious. And he told me he thought Akane hated him, that's a lot of why he was so depressed."

"Was that his real reason, Tofu, or was he protecting her even though she betrayed him. After all, he always protected Akane no matter how she treated him."

"But Ranma never really grasped the concept of the polite lie to save someone's feelings. Nothing about what he told me seemed to be a lie. He was searching for something, too."

"Searching?" the Tendo girl asked.

"Searching for answers. He was trying to sort through all the duties, promises, and obligations. He was trying to figure out his feelings so he could decide what to do about his fiancées, and he wanted to make sure it was the right thing, not just what his parents or your father wanted. He didn't talk much, but I saw him trying to work it all out."

"So how long have he and Ukyou..." Kasumi blushed, unable to say it aloud.

"They didn't start dating until the night we lost..." he couldn't finish.

"My sister?"

Tofu nodded and she took his hand, waiting for him to continue.

"I think Ranma and Ukyou became lovers..." He paused for a moment. "That was only two nights ago. It seems a lot longer."

"Yes, so much has happened. But what happened two nights ago?"

"Well, when I came home they were wearing nothing but bathrobes and Ranma admitted they were sharing the bath. Though between attacks from Lin-Lin, Ran-Ran, and Akane, I don't know how far they got. They did spend the night together, though."

"And you let them? They're still too young."

"It was the first time in weeks Ranma seemed happy."

"I don't approve, but I suppose I understand," she replied. "Ranma, and Akane for that matter, felt trapped by the engagement they'd never asked for and certainly weren't ready for. They obviously resented it and most of that anger ended up directed at each other."

"I saw it, though I should have seen it better" Kasumi sighed. "I should have done something, but I didn't know what to do. Besides, I was afraid, afraid if I did say anything I'd be the one trapped instead of Akane. That was wrong. I saw all the times they brought out the worst in each other, all the ways they wounded each other with their words, but I didn't do anything to help."

"Don't blame yourself," Tofu assured. "It's inevitable they'd flee that trap and all the pain and anger by seeking someone else."

"I don't think anything's inevitable," Kasumi replied. "I don't believe in fate or destiny; we make our own choices. Still, I'm not surprised it ended up like this. It could have worked out between my sister and Ranma, but it would have been a long, hard road to get there. Almost everything my father or Mr. Saotome or Nabiki did made the road longer and harder and I don't think I really helped, either."

She fell silent and Tofu longed to wipe the pain from her eyes.

"I'm not surprised they got tired of trying," the girl continued. "Akane found a boy who was patient, who encouraged instead of criticized, who respected and supported her interests. Ranma found a girl who knew she loved him and was willing to admit it to herself and to him; someone who truly trusted him and didn't blame him for his curse or the other chaos that surrounded him."

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

She didn't expect to wake up on a bed.

_ Was it a dream? Was it all just a dream? I've dreamed this before, but when I woke up he wasn't there. He never was. _

A glance showed that no one lay next to her and there was no sign anyone had. The room was dark. Dimly she saw the ceiling above her, but she didn't recognize it.

_ But it felt too intense to be a dream. _ Ukyou's cheeks colored at the memory. She raised her hand to her eyes, staring at the scarlet and emerald stones of the Yoma ring, trying to find the answer there. _ Maybe it was an illusion caused by this thing. _

She tried to stifle the dark thought that had returned in her nightmares.

_ Maybe Ranchan didn't make it in time. Maybe Haradachi won and none of this happened, it's all some illusion of the ring to comfort me as I drown. _

She imagined her body trapped beneath the surface of the frozen canal as the monster crushed the breath from her lungs. There was ice in her veins and she couldn't feel her body.

But she felt a fire burning in her heart.

_ No, I didn't fail. If I did, that thing could have hurt Ranchan. I wouldn't let that happen. _

Ukyou flung herself into a sitting position, her arms clenched at her sides. She was breathing too hard, too fast, and she felt lightheaded. She barely noticed the covers fall away, barely realized that all she wore besides the ring was the Shimi-Seki pendant.

The door of the bathroom opened and he stood there wearing less than she was, silhouetted in the doorway, filling her vision. His face clouded as he saw her tears and trembling even though she didn't notice them, only him. He called her name. She knew that, even if she couldn't understand the words anymore.

And then his arms were around her, warm and strong, and she was safe again.

"You're real, Ranchan, you're real." Her voice was a hoarse whisper.

"Of course I'm real, Ucchan."

"Thank you."

She looked up, seeing his confusion and then she wiped it away with the same kiss that made her forget her tears.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Why did I not see it? Even the veriest fool could do so."

Few people in Nerima fit the description of fool better than Tatewaki Kuno.

"Yes, of a truth I see it now. With all the mystic powers that beset me, all the vile beasts summoned from the darkest pits of the netherworld by that accursed sorcerer, Ranma Saotome, 'tis no wonder that my mind was compassed with thoughts of martial glory and righteous vengeance and I thought not that the key which might unlock the answers I seek would lie so close at hand. Buried within the tales of the past, whether they be prose or poetry, lie deeper layers of meaning for those wise enough to search them out and now it is most certain that I have discovered one."

Tatewaki Kuno chuckled to himself, but no one paid attention to the would-be samurai.

"A riderless horse, a houseless street

A rudderless ship, a swordless sheath,

To make his nothingness complete."

He quoted the French poet Villon aloud, but that was also ignored.

"The swordless sheath is surely me, when I abandoned my bokken to face the mob unarmed in order to free my true loves, Akane Tendo and Ukyou Kuonji, from Saotome's brutish minions." Kuno did have a talent for selectively reinterpreting events. "The riderless horse clearly refers to that Saotome cur, for surely his name means wild horse and he has proven himself a mere beast with naught of civilization or respect for his betters in his manner."

Kuno frowned, attempting to decipher the remainder of the lines.

"Perhaps that lackwit Ryouga Hibiki is the rudderless ship, for his aimless wanderings have carried him across this world like a ship that has lost its rudder."

Kuno frowned again.

"This last phrase about making his nothingness complete clearly shows the sorcerer can be overthrown if I can but find the allies I need to aid me in my quest." Kuno's confidence was exceeded only by his talent for misinterpretation. "It will prove a simple task to find and enlist that oaf Ryouga Hibiki, the rudderless ship, as my ally against our common foe and truly his martial prowess is nearly as great as my own." Kuno was not the most humble of people, either.

He pondered the lines and silence reigned for quite some time before he sighed in frustration.

"Truly the full meaning is most cunningly concealed for I still cannot fathom who might be the houseless street, but no doubt it shall soon come to me and I shall enlist his aid as well in the final destruction of the villainous Ranma Saotome."

Kuno considered for a moment longer. "Or perhaps I have never met this houseless street. Of course, this must assuredly be so, else my mighty intellect would surely have discovered the full meaning behind this cunning riddle." Kuno laughed aloud. "Now I have but to find this mysterious stranger and ensure the liberation of the fair maidens and the vile sorcerer's destined destruction."

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Only in Nerima would you see a panda wearing an apron and cooking dinner on a stove. Hunger had triumphed over laziness. Genma was an odd man and his expressions were difficult to read even when he wasn't in his cursed form. He'd had plenty of time to think and he didn't like the answers.

_ The boy isn't coming back. In spite of all my matchmaking skills, he and Akane just seem to drift farther apart. _Genma could be as selectively clueless as Kuno at times. _ Soun isn't going to be much help for a while. _ The man had collapsed from exhaustion shortly after discovering his daughters were safe.

_ Oh well, that means all this food is for me. _

Genma pulled the pot off the stove and waited for the rice to cool. It wasn't fancy, but it was filling.

_ It was so much easier when Nabiki was around. I just borrowed money off of her father, gave it to her and she did all the work. After all, I've done my share, no, more than my share of the work about the promise to join the schools. _

_ I've earned my retirement, earned the right to have Ranma take over the dojo and support me. And he's got to see this is the promise that matters. Tendo's the only one with a dojo. I'm sure the Amazons have the space for one, but no promises were ever made to them and Nodoka would never accept them as in-laws. _

_ And the Kuonji girl is right out, she's only got a single restaurant, not a chain of them like the Daikoku family. It's a shame I messed up with them, if only I'd known how rich her family was. _

_ There is Kodachi. She has a lot of money, too. _Genma shuddered_. No, that laugh is just too much. It would drive me insane, even if Ranma didn't kill me for it. _

The panda grabbed a pair of chopsticks and began eating directly out of the pot. Natural laziness meant he always used the least number of dishes possible, even though he intended to leave this one for Kasumi to clean.

_ There's an idea. The boy gets along a lot better with Kasumi than Akane and she's certainly a much better cook. She's a dutiful daughter. She'll do whatever her father tells her. _

Genma stopped for a moment, then discarded the idea. He couldn't do that to Kasumi, couldn't tie her to a boy she didn't want, especially when any fool could see she wanted someone else.

_ I have to get Ranma to marry Akane. _

And he had a plan.

_ It's simpler if the boy is at Ukyou's. I can get good mileage out of the photos and school records Nabiki provided, once I talk to Nodoka. _ He wasn't eager to do that. _ If that doesn't work, I'll need to be careful talking to Ranma. I don't want Soun to overhear that conversation. _

Genma smiled.

_ Soon this will be the Saotome dojo and I can relax and enjoy life. _

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

The sun returned and by noon the streets and sidewalks were cleared enough to travel. Konatsu left first, cradling a cat in his arms. He was taking no chances that Ran-Ran might arrive and see that Shampoo still lived. The cat purred in his arms and the ninja realized it was good to feel needed.

He'd forgotten a promise, but that wouldn't be important until later.

The streets were quiet and the boy enjoyed the stillness. Far too soon, they reached the restaurant. He halted abruptly. Mounds of flowers were stacked outside the entrance, unwanted presents from Ukyou's unwanted admirer Kuno.

That wasn't why he stopped. Most people wouldn't have noticed the faint scratches, near invisible in the feeble light of the rising sun, showed that the lock had been tampered with. Most people weren't ninjas. Konatsu motioned Shampoo to silence and tucked the cat into the front of his clothing. Her expression proved she didn't like the idea.

Konatsu's weapons had all been left behind or used against the Mamonos.

_ I'll have to improvise. _

The ninja was skilled at concealing more than just himself. He carried Shampoo's disassembled wheelchair under his clothing and several pieces would work as improvised clubs.

_ Maybe I can start a new branch of Anything Goes Martial Arts. Martial Arts Nursing? _

The boy smiled. Whoever had tampered with the lock was merely human, which was a pleasant change. He became a shadow, gliding closer, examining first the flowers and then the door closely.

_ Odd, there aren't any traps and I don't sense anyone inside. _

He was even more surprised when nothing was missing. He didn't know Ran-Ran had forced the door the day before in her fruitless search for Ukyou.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Kasumi and her sister left next. The small black pig Akane carried was a source of tension between them, but Akane refused to leave Ryouga behind. The silence wore between them and neither spoke until they stood outside the front gates of their home.

"Akane, I don't approve of you sleeping with Ryouga. You're too young for that and you certainly shouldn't have done anything before marriage."

"It's not my fault, besides Ranma was sleeping with Ukyou."

"What Ranma is doing has nothing to do with it. You lied to me and Father."

"Bwee," the little pig emphatically disagreed.

"What Ryouga's trying to say is I just found out a few weeks ago. All we were doing during that time was sleeping." That much was true and Akane hoped her sister wouldn't probe about more recent events.

"Bwee," P-chan nodded in frantic agreement.

Kasumi looked into their eyes, searching for the truth. "All right, I believe you, but you have known for the past several weeks and you haven't told anyone."

"How...how could I," Akane quavered. "How could I, anymore than Ryouga could tell anyone before?"

"But you kept him in your room."

"Why shouldn't I? Why shouldn't I keep the only boy that listens to me close? It's not like he could do anything as P-chan anyway and besides that jerk Ranma knew and he sure didn't tell anyone."

Kasumi sighed. This was going nowhere.

"You should tell Father."

The distressed pig shook his head frantically as Akane clutched him tighter. "I...I will, Kasumi, I promise, I just can't do it yet."

Kasumi accepted her sister's word and they entered the house in silence. Of course, Akane had once promised Kasumi that she wouldn't strike Ranma in anger, shortly after the boy first arrived at their house. That promise didn't last long before it shattered.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"I'm sorry."

Dr. Tofu knew the words weren't enough, even though he meant them. Ran-Ran's face remained expressionless, but he sensed her turmoil. He couldn't sense anything from her sister. Lin-Lin lay on the bed, eyes open and staring. Her chest rose and fell in a mechanical rhythm that was her only movement.

There were no signs of physical damage, but her mind, her soul seemed to have fled. Either the essence of all that was Lin-Lin was hiding, still traumatized from her possession, or it had been snuffed out like a flickering candle. The first might heal with time; the second was beyond any help he could provide.

Tofu turned back to the other Amazon. Ran-Ran's eyes pleaded for the aid she was too proud to request. He wanted to help her, to help both of them, but he didn't know how. He'd let the others go without telling them of Lin-Lin's condition.

_ They need the rest. They need it badly. I doubt if they can even help. _

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Mousse stepped out the front door, squinting in the afternoon light. He didn't feel the silken noose until it tightened around his neck, yanking him into the air. He thrashed wildly, but he couldn't break free. He tried to howl in frustration, but he didn't have the breath to do it. Spikes and hooks and spears and bladed chains were flung from his sleeves. The frantic actions caused quite a bit of damage to the front of the Neko Hanten and the street outside, but nothing struck his dark-clad attacker.

_ I can't die this way. I have to save Shampoo. It has to mean something. _

He felt a rushing in his ears, the world faded to grayness, and panic faded to calm as he realized the way to free himself. Another blade materialized in his hand, which rose trembling to sever the noose.

_ Am I seeing things? _

Rose petals, red as blood, drifted around him like gentle rain. They were his last sight and their fragrance his last sensation before the darkness claimed him.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Genma was not a happy panda. Phoning one of Nabiki's minions had told him things he didn't want to hear. The Neko Hanten restaurant had been closed for a while now. Mousse had been seen there, but both Shampoo and Cologne were gone. And, of course, so was Ranma. The informant also mentioned several incidents of the boy being seen with a girl who wore a crimson Chinese style dress.

_ This is bad, very, very bad. I may be too late. _ He imagined his idyllic future of leisure evaporating. _They probably tricked the boy with another fake cure or maybe they drugged him. _ Genma envisioned his son lying bound and unconscious in the cargo hold of a ship headed for China. _ Stupid boy, to fall for such an obvious lie. _

_ I really need some help. _

He cocked his head, listening to the tear-filled reunion of the Tendo family going on downstairs. Unsurprisingly, most of the tears were Soun's.

Genma sighed in frustration. _ I don't think Tendo will be ready to travel for a while. For that matter I'm not sure how much help he'd be anyway. He's really lost his edge over the years. _

_ I'm sure I can defeat most of the Amazons one-on-one. Unfortunately, that would bring marriage complications and I'm not going to make the same mistake Ranma did. Besides, Cologne and the other elders are tough enough even the Master would have problems. _

_ Yes, I really could use some help. Akane won't do it, not in the mood she's in. Maybe Ukyou. No, she's sharp enough she might insist on a written promise this time. _

_ So my work isn't done. I'm going to have to do this by myself. And it's going to take more than just martial arts skills. Fortunately, I've got my well-known Saotome cleverness and charm, so I'm sure I won't have to unseal the Forbidden Techniques. They're just too dangerous to trust in most people's hands. _

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

She stopped in the doorway and turned back.

"Ucchan?"

She smiled sadly, then turned to him. "I'm trying to remember this place, trying to memorize every detail, but this room is just like all the other rooms. When we leave, they'll never be able to tell we were here. There's nothing that makes it ours."

She sighed. "I wanted it to be special, Ranchan."

Then she smiled, truly smiled. "And it was. Because it's not about romantic music or satin sheets or roses or poetry." She took his arm and leaned her head against his shoulder. Ranma looked puzzled, his typical expression when dealing with girls, but he put his arm around her.

"It's about time, Ranchan. It's about being together, spending time together, doing things we both want to do."

He nodded, not fully understanding. "So where do you wanna go now, Ucchan?" But he knew the answer - anywhere he wanted to go - her restaurant, Dr. Tofu's, his mother's, off on a training trip - anywhere.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

He woke with the tables towering over him, face pressed against the floor. Dust motes danced in the light of the afternoon sun that peered through the windows, but he didn't feel warm. A faint draft reminded the boy that they needed more than a tarp to cover the extra entrance Ryouga had provided for the restaurant.

_ At least I'm still alive. _

Mousse was mildly surprised at that. He groaned and climbed to his feet. His mind still felt fuzzy and he knew that was more than just being strangled, but his thoughts were clear enough. He stumbled to the stairs and up to his room.

They were gone, everything he'd stolen from Kodachi had disappeared. He'd expected that, though two things surprised him. The mild surprise was everything else for the ritual to save Shampoo was there and untouched.

The major surprise was the letter written in Chinese in a neat, precise hand.

"Thief who is known by the name of Mousse, I have reclaimed what is rightfully mine. You will see I have treated your property with more respect than you have mine. If you are wise, you and your trained duck will never bother me again. If you are foolish, you will attempt to steal from me again and pay the price for your ignorance."

Anger flared in Mousse's eyes. He intended to prove that ** this ** mere male would face any challenge, even death, for the sake of his love.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

_ You've been avoiding that place, but you have to do this. _

She hadn't been in Nabiki's room since that day, but Kasumi knew she needed to go there before it became a shrine. Besides, sorting things out there would give her time to sort things out in her mind.

_ I need to tell Father about my engagement and Akane needs to tell him about Ryouga. _

She sensed that her sister had told the truth, but not the whole truth about that. She shrugged and continued sorting through the clothing in the closet, folding it and packing it into boxes. Kasumi was too tall to wear most of the clothing and much of it was a bit daring for her tastes. She knew Akane wouldn't wear any of it, not even the garments Nabiki had borrowed from her younger sister.

_ I guess we'll give these to charity. Nabiki would have wanted us to sell them or use them, but Father and Akane won't accept that. _

The dresser came next, as the garments were swiftly folded and packed. The bottom drawer held several notebooks and a few photo albums. The albums featured Akane and both forms of Ranma. Some pictures were decent, but most were revealing and some were scandalous. Kasumi blushed and closed the album, uncertain of what to do.

She picked up a notebook with Ranma's name printed on it. A quick glance showed it contained a series of schemes for making money off the boy, either directly or indirectly. There were other books with the names of both Kunos, Shampoo, Mousse, Ukyou, Akane, and several others. At the bottom of the drawer were two, titled 'The Marriage - Ranma' and The 'Marriage - Akane'.

Ranma's book was divided into sections titled Akane, Ami, Atsuko, Ayako, Kaori, Kasumi, Kodachi, Kurumi, a second Kurumi, Lin-Lin, Manami, Makoto, Nabiki, Natsume, Ran-Ran, Shampoo, and Ukyou. At the end there was a summary of odds of the marriage occurring, separate chances for the bride and groom surviving the ceremony and odds of divorce within one, three, five, and ten years.

Akane's book was similar, including the summary at the end, but the sections were labeled Hikaru, Kazuma, Picolette, Ranma, Ryouga, Ryuunosuke, Shinnosuke, and Tatewaki.

Kasumi hesitated before looking though the books, but curiosity won. She already knew who most of the names were, so she turned to the others.

Hikaru appeared to be the Gosunkugi boy that Tofu had mentioned, the one who was in Akane's class at school, though she couldn't recall her sister or Ranma ever mentioning the boy. He seemed to have nothing in common with Akane. At least he was just a suitor, not a fiancé.

Kazuma Kuwabara was a juvenile delinquent whose weak spot was the opposite of Ranma's. Kazuma liked cats. He couldn't bear to see them mistreated. The notebook didn't explain how he was a potential fiancé, though it mentioned his martial arts skills.

Ryuunosuke Fujinami was the son of the owner of a teahouse. Soun had promised a daughter in marriage to get out of paying a large bill, just like he'd done to the family of Picolette Chardin.

_ Oh father, how could you be so stupid? _

Shinnosuke was another name she hadn't heard of.

_ So that's why Akane went back to the Forest of Ryugenzawa. Was she trying to elope? Maybe we'd all have been a bit better off if Father hadn't sent Ranma to drag her back. _

_At least it looks like he made less mistakes than Mr. Saotome. _

Genma appeared to have compiled a much larger list. Ami Kurimoto's family owned a restaurant. Ayako Nakamura's family also owned a restaurant, and there were notes about her martial arts skills. It seemed any promise was better than actually paying bills.

Atsuko was the daughter of a former scientist from Mishima Heavy Industries. The man's estranged wife was the granddaughter of the company president and she had arranged the marriage.

_ My, what an odd nickname the girl has. Nuku-Nuku? _

Not all of the engagements were Genma's fault. The first Kurumi's family name was Kasuga, her sister was the Manami listed. Their grandfather had cut some sort of deal with Happosai. The man had been promised that the son of one of Happosai's students would marry one of his granddaughters, if he could acquire an incredible number of bikini tops for Happosai. Nabiki's notes indicated some sort of magic might have been involved.

The other Kurumi and her sister Natsume were the other Tendos, supposed daughters of Soun and an unknown woman. Brief notes explained why they were not included on the final listed summaries of marriage prospects.

_ Oh my. Ranma couldn't possibly marry either of them. I'm glad Father was telling the truth. Happosai's story of impersonating Father seemed much too convenient. _

She'd been too polite to call it a lie, but now Kasumi knew who Happosai had protected. _ Those poor girls. I have to tell them who their real father is. _

She knew who Ran-Ran was and had heard of her sister Lin-Lin. _ This is odd. I thought Ran-Ran said she had to marry Ryouga, not Ranma. It looks like Ranma earned this one himself. _

She flipped to the section on Shampoo. _ Why didn't the Guide warn them? And Ranma was just as much at fault as his father, not that either of them could have known. _

Makoto Kino was the last name she didn't know. Apparently, Nabiki had only recently found out about the girl, since there was very little information other than the girl was a good cook, a skilled martial artist, and living off a sizeable trust fund set up by her deceased parents.

_ Another fiancée, another mystery, oh Nabiki couldn't that have kept you with us, the chance to use that brilliant mind of yours. _

Kasumi's hand rose to her cheek, feeling the dampness. _ Tears. Akane always came to me when she cried. Nabiki never cried. And I had no one to go to when my tears came. Not since I lost Mother, not till now. _

She looked at her hand, wondering what kind of ring he would purchase. Kasumi stood and began moving firmly and deliberately. She was going to see Tofu again. The notebooks could wait in her room and the rest of her family could tend to their own dinner.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Are you sure you want to do this, Ranchan?"

"But after what we did last night at the hospital...?" He frowned, obviously puzzled. "Isn't it what you want?"

"Of course, but is it what you want? I hope it is, but..."

"But what?"

"I, um, well, you'd said you wanted to wait...and then I didn't...I..."

"Yeah?" he asked.

"Did I ask for more...more than you really wanted to give? Did I take advantage of your promise, Ranchan?"

He paused, searching for the words. "Well, I wasn't exactly expecting it, but I coulda said no anytime I wanted." He chuckled softly. "Or I coulda just run away, I'd gotten real good at that." His voice dropped to a whisper. "Got too good at it."

He sighed, and continued in a more normal tone. "I said we should wait 'cause I wanted what I thought was best for you, but..." He took a deep breath and released it slowly. "But I wasn't really listening to what you wanted. I was trying to protect you, trying to keep you from getting hurt, but I was just hurting you anyway. I don't know if what we did was right; I don't know if it was honorable. I'm just making things up as I go, just like always. But I know it felt like the right thing to do."

He looked around his room, at the empty dresser and the full backpack. "And it's the right time to move on, too. Tofu's was just a place to stay until I made up my mind."

"Neutral ground?"

"Kinda." He looked at the floor. "It's hard sorting out the difference between duty and friendship and love and desire, even when you don't have people yelling at you all the time and attacking you for no reason and trying to run your life for you."

He looked into her eyes. "Sorry it took so long, Ucchan. Guess I hurt a lotta people that way, but it hurts most that I hurt you, 'cause of how I feel about you. Guess that sounds kinda selfish."

"We're all kinda selfish at times, Ranchan. It's alright."

"Thanks." He took a final look at the empty room and hefted his backpack. "I guess we better get over to your restaurant."

"Our restaurant."

"That's gonna take some getting used to. Ours."

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Two notes lay on the table.

"Tendo, I have gone to China to get my ungrateful son back from the Amazons. Thanks for the supplies."

A quick search showed Genma had snatched most of the dried foods and Soun knew his friend had already cleaned out the refrigerator.

_ I guess Kasumi needs to go shopping. _

But there was the second note.

"Father, I have gone to Dr. Tofu's. You and Akane will have to make your own dinner."

Tears formed in Soun's eyes. "Oh Kasumi, how could you do this to you own father, to leave me alone to face the horrors of Akane's cooking," he wailed.

"Hey, I heard that!"

Soun turned to see his youngest daughter. She looked rather angry, though he didn't know why. He'd never hid the fact that he was afraid of her cooking before. Somehow he was sure this was all Ranma's fault.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"That was a good idea, Shampoo, using those roses as centerpieces and presents for any customers that were on a date."

"Thank you, Ukyou."

Ranma blinked twice, still getting used to the Chinese girl's much better grasp of Japanese and how well she was getting along with Ukyou.

_ My life is just too weird. _

"Now, do you have any idea how I can get rid of this idiot Kuno that sent the flowers to me?"

"If I knew how to do that," Shampoo replied, "I'd be able to get rid of that idiot Mousse."

Both girls sighed as Ranma continued to watch them in confusion, but he didn't have much time to wonder as a new wave of customers entered the restaurant.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Safety and perhaps survival required being close enough to eavesdrop. It was all too strange. Kodachi was on the phone and she was laughing in a way Sasuke had never heard before, a pleasant normal laugh. That's what scared the ninja.

"My brother said what?" Kodachi dissolved into another fit of giggling. "Poets and sorcery and secret messages within the words. No, no, I can assure you that **is** normal for my brother." She almost stifled another fit of laughter before hanging up the phone.

"Sasuke!"

"Yes, Mistress Kodachi." The trembling servant stepped forward, ready to bolt at any second.

"My brother has been detained by the hospital, yes, that hospital. Apparently, they have mistaken him for one of the inmates. I can't imagine how that happened," she smiled.

"Nor can I," the ninja replied, then realized he was smiling back and wiped the expression from his face. Cold sweat ran down his back and he wondered how much longer he had to live.

"I need you to retrieve my brother," the girl insisted.

"But...but if they could defeat Master Kuno, what chance would I have?"

Kodachi laughed again, but he didn't feel safe.

"They caught him by surprise, though it is interesting that it took four tranquilizer darts to drop him and a fifth to silence him. He appears to be developing a tolerance." She frowned briefly, though that expression was soon replaced by a broad smile. "I meant for you to use the Kuno family wealth and influence to retrieve my brother, though you don't need to hurry about it."

"I don't?"

"Are you in any rush to hear him bellowing about vengeance or his true loves?"

The ninja shook his head.

"Neither am I, so take your time."

Sasuke nodded briefly, then fled, as Kodachi prepared for her visitor.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"So where am I sleeping?" Ranma seemed nervous.

"Um, my room," she blushed. "Um, I mean our room."

Both smiled nervously, missing the look Shampoo and Konatsu exchanged behind their backs, a look of both joy and sorrow.

Shampoo spoke first. "So hurry upstairs you two, Konatsu and I will finish cleaning up down here. Unless you want to make it a threesome, in which case I'd like some help getting up the stairs."

"You can do that?" Ranma looked more confused than usual.

"Ancient Amazon secret, Ai...um, Ranma." Ukyou looked like she was about to explode. "I was just teasing. You two go upstairs. We'll be fine."

The couple left silence behind them and neither of the other teens moved or spoke for quite a while.

"Were you teasing, Shampoo?"

"Yes, of..." She made the mistake of looking in Konatsu's eyes, seeing her own thoughts and feelings reflected there. "I...I think I did mean it and Ranma doesn't know what that means for an Amazon to be willing to share."

Konatsu said nothing.

"You would have said the same, but it wouldn't have been cute, right Airen?"

Konatsu blushed, but didn't reply. He saw a hunger in Shampoo's eyes and he couldn't look away.

"I did promise to scrub your back when you got cleaned up, Airen."

The boy gulped.

"After all, you did get help for Akane, just like I asked," Shampoo purred.

Konatsu gulped again and it was hard to pull his eyes away from hers, but he needed to before he drowned in them.

"N...not yet, Shampoo, not yet. I'm not ready and neither are you. Maybe later, if we wouldn't be using each other to forget about them."

Shampoo cursed quietly, imaginatively, and at great length in Japanese, Mandarin, English, and Cantonese.

"Shampoo hate it when stupid male is right." She took a deep breath, struggling to regain her command of the Japanese language. "I'm sorry, Konatsu, you aren't stupid. I'm the stupid one. We wouldn't be forgetting them; we'd be thinking of them the whole time."

"Please don't cry, Shampoo."

"Stupid Airen, how can I stop?" He moved closer and she wrapped her arms around him and didn't let go until the tears finally subsided. He was the first person she'd allowed to see her crying since she was four years old.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"I knew you'd come."

The teens balanced effortlessly at opposite ends of the greenhouse roof. The breeze tugged gently at their long dark hair but neither noticed the cold night wind.

"I had to," Mousse replied. "It's a matter of life and death."

"So you weren't here to see me." The sad words held more than a hint of self-mockery. "No one ever is."

"This is for Shampoo," the Chinese boy yelled.

Kodachi sighed. The bellowing reminded her of the way her brother or that idiot Ryouga thundered about in combat. Compared to them, Ranma was quiet, subtle, graceful, and dignified.

"...are you even listening to me?" Angry words interrupted her thoughts.

_ I don't even get him in my dreams, not with** this** noisy fool interrupting. _

Kodachi's laugh was short and sharp as a gymnastics hoop materialized in her hand. She needed this fight to work away her anger and her pain. The hoop blurred forward and Mousse's leap was barely high enough. Before he landed a ribbon wrapped around his neck and he spun through the air.

Then the ribbon was gone and Mousse was flying even though he wasn't a duck.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Just relax, Akane. Your father has always been like this."

"I...you're right, Ryouga." But his words still hurt.

"Now I know you can cook, you've proved it. Ranma's mother took the time to show you and you've improved a lot since then. Be patient, it will take a while before you reach Kasumi's level, just like it took me a while to get to where I am at martial arts."

The Tendo girl nodded, but didn't reply.

"That's why you need to relax. You don't cook well when you're angry, nobody does. Don't let his criticism get to you."

"It's harder when you're the one being criticized."

"Akane, if he weren't your dad, I'd be trying to pound his thick skull for hurting you."

She didn't reply, recalling all those times that Ryouga attacked Ranma because of thoughtless things the pigtailed boy had said. Ranma hadn't meant to be cruel, but that didn't stop Ryouga from leaping to her defense, even if he was a little black pig at the time.

_ Yet Ryouga can be so patient with me. He's the only one that really tried to help me when I trained at martial arts. Ranma never tried, Ukyou had no patience at all, and I think Shampoo was trying to hurt me. _

"Akane?"

"Thank you, Ryouga. Thank you for everything."

"Everything?" She realized he meant the events at Ryugenzawa, that he sensed her fear and confusion over how that might complicate their lives.

"Everything." There was no doubt in her reply or the look she gave him. "You did it all to make me happy and you saved me from marrying someone who was cheating on me with Ukyou and who knows who else. Thank you, Ryouga, I mean that."

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Notes on Nabiki's fiancée lists:

Ayako Nakamura is from Ushio and Tora.

Ami Kurimoto is from the series DNA2.

Atsuko Mishima is All Purpose Cultural Catgirl Nuku Nuku.

Kaori Daikoku is an anime-only character.

Kurumi & Manami Kasuga are from Kimagure Orange Road

Kurumi & Natsume 'Tendo' are from the Ranma OAVs.

Lin-Lin & Ran-Ran are also anime-only characters.

Makoto Kino is Sailor Jupiter from Sailor Moon.

And the fiancé lists.

Kazuma Kuwabara is from Yu Yu Hakusho.

Picolette Chardin is a minor character from the manga.

Ryuunosuke Fujinami is from Urusei Yatsura. Though raised as a boy, Ryuunosuke is female.


	14. Yokkyuu Part 2

Mamono Hunter Ukyou

Yokkyuu: Flame of Desire

Part 2

By Edward A. Simons

Based on characters and situations created by Takahashi Rumiko. Ranma 1/2 and characters copyright Shogakukan, Kitty Animation Circle, and Takahashi Rumiko. Devil Hunter Yohko and characters copyright NCS, Toho Company, LTD., and Mad House. This story revised 2005 by Edward Simons.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

You are not wrong, who deem

That my days have been a dream;

All that we see or seem

Is but a dream within a dream.

Edgar Allen Poe, "A Dream Within A Dream"

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

A voice murmured in the background, but he couldn't understand the words. Ranma opened his eyes a fraction, seeing the sunlight peering around the curtain. He glanced the other direction, towards the sound. Ukyou was on the phone, speaking softly.

He sighed and stared at the ceiling. After nearly two years at the Tendo home, this place felt strange, almost alien.

_Now what? I feel like a blind man stumbling forward one step at a time. What Ucchan...what **we** did...it made things more complicated. Not that it wasn't fun._ He glanced back at his fiancée and smiled. She smiled back, but continued speaking on the phone. He completely missed the worried look in her eyes.

_Life isn't getting any simpler. I gotta let everyone know I finally decided and I gotta make sure they accept it. Shampoo knows, and she sure seems to be taking it well. But I ain't so sure about how her Great Grandmother would react._

He glanced over at Ukyou. _What if they really do mean obstacles is for killing? Shampoo never woulda done anything like that, she had way too many chances to kill Akane and she never took them. But I don't know how the other Amazons would react. Lin-Lin and Ran-Ran were real sticky about their laws. And Shampoo thought Cologne would be willing to kill her to fulfill their laws; what if the old ghoul decides to go after Ucchan?_

"Ranchan?"

"Wha..."

"That was Tofu on the phone." She knelt beside the futon, looking concerned. "Sorry I woke you. Are you okay?"

"Ucchan, we gotta talk. I think I made a big mistake. I'm gonna have to leave."

The color drained from her face. "A mistake?" Her lips were trembling and tears began forming in the corners of her eyes. "You...you want to leave me?"

"I think it might be the only way."

"No." Her voice was almost inaudible.

"Hey, I promised I'd always take care of you. That's why I gotta do this."

"What?" She stared openmouthed at him, unable to say more.

"You know about the Amazon Laws," he stated.

"Just...just what you told me," she replied hesitantly.

"Did I mention the rules about obstacles? You're in danger just being around me. Cologne or Lin-Lin or Ran-Ran might be trying to kill you."

She took a deep breath, then released it slowly. "Ranchan?"

"Yeah?"

"Ranchan, you are the biggest, dumbest, stupidest idiot in all of Japan!"

"What?"

"How is doing something dumb like that supposed to protect me? And whoever said I wanted to be protected that way?"

Ranma scratched his head. "Didn't you ask me to always take care of you? Isn't that what I promised?"

She sighed. "What do you think your dad would do if you told him you were going to protect him and weren't gonna let him fight any more?"

"Um, I'm not sure."

She sighed again. "He sure wouldn't like it, would he?"

Ranma shook his head. "I, um, well..."

"So why would I like it?" she interrupted. "I'm not a little kid. Sure I'm not as good as you are, but I am a martial artist."

"Um, this ain't like when you were fighting Hayato," he replied. "According to their rules, the Amazons play for keeps. And Cologne's a lot tougher than..."

"Ranchan?"

"Yeah?"

"How many times could Shampoo have killed Akane if she **really** wanted to?"

"Well, there's the Memory Erasure Shampoo, and the..."

"And if Cologne wanted someone dead, don't you think they'd be dead already?" Ukyou interrupted.

Ranma frowned. "It ain't the Amazons you're worried about, is it?" He could tell that much, though he wasn't sure exactly what she was driving at.

She shook her head, tears visible in her eyes. "Of course not, you dummy," she whispered. "I've been alone for so, so long and I...I've wanted, I've needed you that whole time. I...with what your mom said, I know I can't have you all to myself, but...but if I can't have you at all, I...I wouldn't...I guess I could go on, as much as anybody could with their heart torn out."

"Ucchan," he whispered.

"And...and then you think you're protecting me by...by going off and leaving me all alone again."

"So you're more worried about Mamonos than the Amazons?"

She gave a deep sigh. "I...I need your help against those things, against the Mamonos, but I need you more than I need your help, Ranchan. I, um, I think I know what you're trying to do, why you're trying to protect me, and...and that means a lot to me, even if you can't say why you're doing it."

"And yeah I'm a lot more worried about these stupid Mamonos than the dumb Amazon laws," she continued, "but that's not the point, either. If...if I told you to leave so you'd be safe from those monsters, so they could never do to you what they did to Nabiki or Shampoo, so they never did like they, like..."

She began sobbing, grabbed him, and pulled him close. After a while, a long while, he spoke her name.

"S...sorry, Ranchan, it's just...when you...the blood, all the blood..." She paused, taking a deep breath. "Ranchan, I nearly lost you because I wasn't..."

"It ain't your fault, Ucchan, it was mine."

She smiled faintly, held him closer, and gently whispered, "Ranchan, you are the biggest, dumbest, stupidest idiot in all of Japan."

"Huh?"

She released the embrace, placed her hands on his shoulders, and looked straight into his eyes. "I want you to be safe, you big dummy. If I told you to leave, to go somewhere safe so those things couldn't hurt you, would you do it?"

"Of course not. And it ain't just because we're, um, we're not just friends, um, not that I'm sure how to refer to us."

She smiled. "How about fiancées?"

"I got three of them. No, I got more than three."

"Yeah," she sighed. "Anyway, do you think I'd leave if you were in danger, even if you told me to?"

"It ain't the same thing, Ucchan. I ain't in danger from the Amazons, you are, so long as you're around me."

"Ranchan, don't you remember fighting Lin-Lin and Ran-Ran? If I'm in any danger from the Amazons, I was already in danger from them, and you taking off outta some stupid idea of protecting me isn't going to help."

He opened his mouth, but no words came out for a while. "Sorry," he sighed, bowing his head.

"You don't have to apologize," she replied, "but we've gotta work together on this, we gotta work together if we're gonna work." She wiped the remains of tears away with the back of her hand and smiled faintly. "I'm not sure if I made much sense there, Ranchan, but what I'm trying to say is we need to make decisions that are both our decisions."

"Um, what if we don't agree on something? Then whatta we do?"

"I don't know. I don't even remember what my Mom looked like, so I never saw her and my Dad work anything like that out."

"And the only time I know about my folks working out a disagreement was that stupid seppuku contract," he replied. "I didn't know this would be so hard. In all the stories, once people get together they somehow just magically live happily ever after, there's never anything that they gotta work out. I don't get it; do they want people to fail? Getting together ain't the end of the story, it's the beginning."

They both fell silent, though eventually Ukyou spoke. "So neither of us really know what we're doing. And there isn't really anyone we can ask for advice, either."

He opened his mouth, shut it, then sighed. "Maybe that's a good thing, Ucchan. I spent most of my life doing what other people told me, doing what they thought was right, what they thought was best." He paused, clearly searching for words. "And a kid has gotta live like that, has to depend on others who know more than they do. But if we're ever gonna be more than kids, if we're ever gonna have a chance of making us work, we can't go letting others make our decisions for us."

"So we just ignore what everyone else says, Ranchan?"

"No, we just gotta treat it like martial arts."

"What?" Her expression looked almost comical.

"Part of martial arts is watching people so you can learn from 'em. Sometimes they're doing something wrong, and you don't want to make the same mistake. Sometimes they got something new, some technique you didn't know before."

"Or sometimes they've got new ways to use an old technique?" she asked.

"Exactly. But you gotta decide what's best for you, 'cause not everything works for everybody. The Breaking Point is a good technique for Ryouga, but it just ain't right for me. That's the whole point of Anything Goes, take the parts that work for you, and leave the rest."

"Sort of like picking okonomiyaki toppings?"

"Yeah, I suppose." It was Ranma's turn to look puzzled.

"I think I see what you're saying, Ranchan. When I was just learning to cook, I had to follow a recipe carefully. Now I can throw things together without measuring; I just know how much I'll need. If I'm out of something, I can substitute for it and sometimes even invent something new." She furrowed an eyebrow. "But we haven't had anyone show us the basic techniques for relationships; no one taught us any basic recipes for life."

"Are you saying we don't even know how to be friends, Ucchan?"

"What?"

"Being friends, that's the basic techniques. Learning to trust each other, to enjoy being around each other, to do things together. Working together to take down problems neither of us could beat on our own, like when we took down the Gambler King as kids. And maybe we haven't had any real examples for the advanced stuff, but we've got some good examples of what not to do."

"We're still going to have to improvise a lot, Ranchan."

"Hey, that's the way Anything Goes works." He smiled confidently. "There's always the chance of running across something you've never had to deal with before, like when Ryouga came up with the Shishi Hokoudan. Not everything I tried worked, but I didn't quit. We've both made mistakes on getting closer to each other, we're probably still gonna make mistakes. But I ain't gonna quit and I'm sure you ain't gonna, either. Maybe we're gonna have to work harder, but..."

"But we'll be able to help each other." She smiled hesitantly, and gave him another kiss.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

He woke, sensing her absence, and stared at the ceiling. Days had turned to weeks and the strangeness of the place was beginning to fade, but his subconscious nagged that something was still wrong. He looked back at the empty spot next to him and frowned. Ranma sighed and turned to the clock. It was hours until dawn.

He found her downstairs, hunched in front of the computer, her face illuminated by the feeble glow of the screen. She sighed, yawned, and stretched her arms upward and back; a normal gesture made much more interesting by the half-open yukata she wore. The Shimi-Seki pendant glittered between her breasts and his eyes tracked down across bare skin to the panties that were her only other garment.

Then her arms came down and she slumped forward. Rising desire was replaced by concern and Ranma finally spoke.

"Hey, Ucchan, are you okay? It's kinda cold to be running around dressed like that."

A smile flickered across her face, then faded; though it didn't disappear.

"What's wrong, Ucchan?"

"This stupid computer. It keeps locking up for no reason."

He stared blankly at the screen. Standard Systems Software and its president, Biff Standard, had nothing to do with martial arts. "Maybe it's a Mamono, trying to get at the stuff your Grandma sent?"

"Yeah, that's what I thought."

Ranma chuckled nervously. He'd been joking.

"I tried exorcising the thing three times," his fiancée continued, "but nothing happened. I even tried a healing spell, but that didn't work, either."

"Um, if there was a Mamono shouldn't you be able to sense it with your Shimi-whatsis pendant. Ucchan, why are you banging your head on the keyboard?"

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

_Maybe this is why Ranma spent so much time up here._

Now Ryouga lay on the roof of the Tendo house, staring at the stars, trying to sort his problems out. He'd been alone most of his life thanks to his curse of misdirection, and he hadn't thought he would ever miss it.

_How long has Akane been carting me around as P-chan, afraid to let me out of her sight? _ Ryouga didn't realize he held a loose roof tile in his hand, slowly grinding it to powder. _She's afraid she'll lose me, like she lost..._

Even in his thoughts, he shied away from his rival's name, the name Akane still sometimes called in her dreams.

_It's been weeks, no, months since Ryugenzawa. Why can't she forget him? All he does is bring her pain. He doesn't know how to make her happy._ Ryouga felt the embers of his old hatred stir, but he'd come to understand Ranma a little better.

_How do I choose? How do I get out of this without hurting someone I care about? Akane needs me, our kid needs me, but she's so possessive, afraid to even let me near other girls._ Unlike Ranma, this meant he was doused with cold water instead of hammered. _I'm trapped. She's trapped. How long before we turn on each other like she and Ranma did?_

_Akari needs me, too._ He still carried her picture in his wallet, next to Akane's. _She's alone in the world, except for her grandfather, and he's...he's dying. She accepts both my curses, and she's a lot more forgiving, she'd probably even forgive me for what Akane and I did back at Ryugenzawa and I do **not** deserve that._

_Then there's Ran-Ran. She's alone, too, and her sister is in the hospital because I wasn't fast enough to save them both._ Guilt was an old companion of Ryouga's. _And her stupid Amazon laws say she's gotta marry me. How do I let her down? I know what it's like to be alone. How can I hurt her like that?_

Ryouga groaned, his escaping breath a fading hint of white in the cold dark winter night. He inhaled slowly, feeling the cold air seep into his lungs.

"Even if I were twins..."

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Sorry, Ucchan."

She shook her head, denying his need to apologize.

"Shampoo explained it all to me." He didn't mention how loud that explanation had been or how many times the words 'stupid male' were repeated. "She told me how many hours before dawn you get up. While I sleep, you order stuff for the restaurant, check the quality of the food delivered, prepare the ingredients for when the restaurant opens, make lunch for both of us, pay the bills, study for school, study the stuff your grandma sent about being a Mamono Hunter, and maybe try to practice your martial arts. You get to bed late every night, because you're listening to me ramble on about my day, about my problems."

"Or because we do other stuff." Ukyou smiled. "It's okay."

"No, it isn't, Ucchan. You're getting maybe five hours of sleep a night."

A look in her eyes told the boy that estimate was probably too high.

His voice was softer now. "What's the sign say out front now? Ranchan and Ucchan's. That's a lie and it's gonna be a lie until I'm doing more than just serving tables here. I promised I'd always take care of you, but that's a lie, too, if you don't tell me when things are wrong. I ain't no mind reader. I wanna help, but you gotta let me know you need help."

She was silent, but the tears were flowing again. His stomach twisted and he stopped breathing for a moment.

"S...sorry, Ranchan."

His eyes widened in confusion and she launched herself into his arms.

"You don't have to apologize for nothing, Ucchan, just give me a chance to earn the right to have my name on that sign outside."

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Are you alright?"

Ran-Ran shook her head at Dr. Tofu's question. "Sister not getting better."

"She's not getting worse, either." He didn't think Lin-Lin could get worse. Ukyou's grandmother had confirmed that if the Chinese girl did recover it would come naturally, not by magic.

"You should go home and rest," the doctor continued. "The hospital will call if there's any change in your sister's condition." The same empty words he'd spoken too many times already.

"China too too far for Ran-Ran to go home."

"I mean the restaurant."

"Ran-Ran go there, but that not home." For weeks she'd followed a pattern, returning to the restaurant, eating mechanically, sleeping fitfully, showering, changing, and returning to her sister's side. "Neko-Hanten not home and Ran-Ran scared to see Mousse carrying ghost of Shampoo with him everywhere. Something wrong with stupid Duck Boy and he no talk to Ran-Ran anyway."

"But you can't help Lin-Lin by staying here."

"Ran-Ran have to stay with sister. Ran-Ran wasn't there when sister Lin-Lin needed her to fight Mamono. Ran-Ran have to stay. Please let Ran-Ran stay."

Tofu sighed. There must be some way to get the girl to accept this, some other task that would get her mind away from this.

_I'll ask Kasumi; she's good at distracting people from their pain._

That reminded him that his mother would be visiting in a few weeks, to give him the ring his father had given to her and his grandfather once gave to his grandmother. The ring he intended to give to Kasumi.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

They lay together on the futon, her head pillowed on his shoulder.

"Ranchan, do you remember the phone call I got right after you moved in?"

"Um, no. I remember what we just got done doing," he smirked, "but there's no way I remember something that happened that far back.

"It has been a while," she agreed. "The phone call, it was Dr. Tofu."

"So what did he want, Ucchan? Did I forget something over at his place?"

"No, he asked about...about Lin-Lin."

Ranma turned slightly, looking into her eyes from mere inches away. His puzzlement was obvious. "Lin-Lin?"

"She still hasn't gotten better and he hoped my magic could help. I called Grandma, but it was too late."

"What?"

"Tokima was the first Mamono to enter this world. The original Mamono Hunter, Haruka Mano, sealed it; but the creature wasn't destroyed. Every few decades the monster gathered enough power to attack the current Mamono Hunter and try to break the seal."

"So you're saying this Tokima is about to break free and come after you, Ucchan? It's gonna have to get through me first."

She smiled, and gave him a brief kiss. "My cousin Yohko took Tokima down for good a little before Grandma sent me my Yoma ring. Actually, Yohko had a lot of help. Haruka, the first Mamono Hunter, used the power of the ring to bring all Mamono Hunters from herself to my cousin Yohko to the same point in time. Working together, they finally destroyed Tokima."

Ranma stared blankly, "So just what's all that got to do with healing Shampoo? And how come you didn't end up in that fight?"

"I think it's because I've never worn the original Yoma ring. Grandma said that if her sister Chiaki could make a new one for her granddaughter Ayako, then she could make one for me."

"Okay. So why is something too late, Ucchan?"

"That ring, the original Yoma ring, contained a little of Tokima's power, the power of time. Haruka used that power to bring everyone through time to fight the Mamono."

"So she beat it with its own power? Kind of like a magical Hiryu Shouten Ha?"

"Not exactly."

"Hey, wouldn't that leave all your ancestors stranded over at your cousin Yohko's? That's way worse than when Pops and the Tendos set up camp here."

"Don't remind me," she sighed. "I think there was enough power left to send them back to their own times, but the important thing is the power is gone now."

"So? I'm not sure how it woulda helped Lin-Lin anyway, Ucchan."

"That wasn't the only way Haruka used the power of time." She fell silent and closed her eyes.

"Hey, what's wrong?"

"Yohko screwed up in that fight. She died." Ukyou took a deep breath and released it slowly. "So Haruka used that Yoma ring, the original. She reversed the flow of time on Yohko's body. She brought her back."

There were tears in the corners of her eyes. He reached forward, gently brushing them away, and spoke her name. She opened her eyes and he spoke again.

"That's a good thing, Ucchan. Why are you so upset?"

"Because now the power is gone, there's no takebacks, no do-overs, no chance to fix the mistakes I made. I can't make it so Lin-Lin can move or Shampoo can walk or Nabiki can breathe."

"Ucchan, those weren't even your mistakes and that's the way life normally works. We all make mistakes and a lotta times we don't get any chance to fix 'em. I was lucky enough to find out about the mistake I made when I was six and while I can't take away the bad stuff that happened to you since then, I can at least try to make sure nothing else happens."

"And that's all we can do. Try," he continued. "So there ain't no magic solutions that solve all our problems. I can't tell you how many people thought they'd found something like that. Gosunkugi thought he had all his problems solved when he used that stupid exploding power armor. Pops and Mr. Tendo thought they'd fixed things when they used those dumb Magic Leaves on me and Akane. Ryouga thought the Invincibility Tattoo was gonna make his life better. Akane might not of looked for the Super Soba Noodles or the Battle Dougi, but she sure was willing to use 'em."

"And none of 'em worked, 'cause none of 'em really solved anything. So why worry about something that ain't your fault? That solution won't work, but how often does the easy answer work? Maybe it's too late to solve the problem that way, but that doesn't mean it's too late for any solution. And I know you're no quitter. Any girl stubborn enough..."

"Stubborn?" But she smiled.

"Any girl stubborn enough to chase me for ten years."

"Twelve. Ten on the road, one here in Nerima, and one back when we were kids even if you were too dumb to notice then."

"Even when we were kids? Hey, what do you mean I was dumb?"

"I make my mind up, I don't change it, Ranchan. Of course, now that means I'm stuck with you."

"Hey."

She stuck her tongue out at him and giggled, just like when they were kids, but something in her eyes, behind the teasing, reminded him that they were no longer children and that they could share pleasures children never dreamed of.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Weeks passed before Kasumi remembered to look at Nabiki's notebooks again. During that time, she was absent-minded and prone to staring off into space even when she was home, and she was gone a lot. She mixed up ingredients several times, which made for some interesting meals. She even burned dinner once, but the silly smile never left her face, and she kept humming cheery little tunes to herself.

Akane suspected her sister had gone mad.

But eventually Kasumi remembered the notebooks and one of the secrets she'd discovered there, and that broke her reverie about marrying Tofu for a little while.

The books were in Kasumi's room now; nothing remained in the empty room that had been her sister's. She reached into the closet, grabbing one of Nabiki's photo albums by mistake.

Something slipped from between the pages and fluttered to the floor. _What's this? _ She stooped and picked the booklet up. _Jusenkyou mail order catalog? Where did Nabiki get it?_

Kasumi sat on the bed and flipped the booklet open, skipping past the quick fixes of waterproof soap and temporary cures, looking for the goal of Ranma, Genma, Mousse, and Ryouga - Nannichuan, the Spring of Drowned Man. It was there, though the price for a barrel was rather extreme. Water from the Nyannichuan, the Spring of Drowned Girl, was also prohibitively expensive.

_I suppose they're the ones people want the most, so they charge more._

Kasumi flipped to the discount section of the catalog.

"Hudienuchaun, Spring of Drowned Butterfly - no. Shiaojinichuan, Spring of Drowned Chicken - no. Manyuchuan, Spring of Drowned Eel - definitely no. Chinwaniichuan, Spring of Drowned Frog - no. Heituenniichuan, Spring of Drowned Piglet - we've had more than enough problems with that already. Shenichuan, Spring of Drowned Snake - no. Shuan...never mind, this is a waste of time."

She dropped the catalog, retrieved the appropriate notebook, and set off for Ukyou's restaurant.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

_This time I'll win._

Mousse had been confident he could beat Kodachi, too confident; and now he'd lost more times than he cared to remember. The Japanese girl was better than he expected, she was fighting on home ground, and she'd hidden traps all across the estate. Her balance and agility were superb, and she faded away from his strikes like smoke in the wind.

She could also summon her weapons from nowhere, which puzzled him. He was fairly sure Kodachi wasn't using magic like he was, so he had no idea how she hid them under the form-fitting leotard she wore.

The boy blushed, recalling just how snug Kodachi's battle uniform was and how distracting that could be in combat.

_She's tricky, too. I never know what she's going to try next._

That was one of the reasons he looked forward to his battles with her. They were much more interesting than the other fights he had. Kodachi was close enough in skill that he was always sure he would defeat her the next time, but she always surprised him with some new trick. He was learning, too, something he'd never managed against foes like Ranma who outclassed him.

He didn't know his subconscious was betraying him, causing him to make tiny hesitations, tiny mistakes, which cost him the battles. He'd never defeated a woman in combat and part of him believed he couldn't. It became a self-fulfilling prophecy. He also knew the cost of winning. It would restore Shampoo, but he would be forever beyond joy or pain. His soul flinched away from that and cost him more than one battle.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

The blade was an arc of flame, reflecting the setting sun. After disappearing for weeks, Tatewaki Kuno had returned and the swordsman was not in the best of moods. Sasuke had taken Kodachi's orders very literally and the Kuno boy had only been free for a few hours.

Tatewaki was supposed to be an empty-headed, poetry-spouting joke, but there was nothing humorous about Kuno's attacks now. Ranma remembered their first fight, how the taller boy had sliced a tree in half, shattered statues, and crushed concrete with just a wooden practice sword. But this blade was steel and Ranma remembered another thing about that first fight. Kuno had touched him with the air pressure of that wooden blade and he hadn't felt the pain till later.

Something had happened and Kuno was dangerous again. Ranma fell back, dodging until he could locate an opening. "Hey Kuno, aren't you supposed to attack me at school, not when I'm walking home with Ucchan?"

The taller boy pressed forward. A mailbox became metal confetti, then a street sign, and finally a vending machine fell victim to the swirling blade.

_At least he didn't hit the..._

And the fire hydrant was decapitated. Ranma sighed. Kuno snarled, seeing his opponent's form become smaller, rounder, and still desirable in spite of all that he knew.

Ukyou used the lull to slide between them, her battle spatula at the ready. Kuno hesitated, a smile replacing his scowl.

"Ah, fair one, of a truth it has been far too long since I have seen your radiant countenance. Truly you must have yearned to see I, your one true love, again."

Ukyou looked mildly ill.

"Ah, but where are my manners? I have brought you a gift. Roses red as fire, to symbolize the passion burning between us."

Ukyou muttered something incoherent and made no move to take the flowers. "Listen you moron, there is **nothing** between us. I love Ranchan and if you can't figure that out I'll pound it into your thick skull, however many times it takes."

"Why do you say this, my love, when you know it is not true? Of course, I see it. This disgusting creature compels you to these falsehoods with his twisted sorceries. Fear not, dear one, for I, Tatewaki Kuno, the Crimson Avenger of Furinkan High, shall slay this vile beast and free your captive heart."

Ukyou said something not very ladylike and the battle spatula became a blur. There was a clang and Kuno's body arched over the wall into a yard on the other side. They heard a thud and then a groan.

"He's pretty tough, Ucchan. He'll be back in a second."

Then they heard a dog growl, and Kuno's screams as he fled from the angry canine.

"I coulda taken him," Ranma complained.

"I know," she replied, "but I needed to wipe that look of his face. Besides, it was nice to be fighting something human again."

They looked into each other's eyes.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking, Ucchan?"

"You mean a nice warm shower for just the two of us?"

"Hey, that's a good idea."

Ukyou rolled her eyes and sighed. "What were you thinking, then?"

"Well, it's been kinda peaceful lately. I like not being yelled at all the time, but I'm worried about getting outta practice. I almost miss Lost Boy and the way he was always attacking me. And I know you're good, Ucchan, but if these Mamonos show up again, we're gonna need to work together, so we can take them down as fast as possible."

"So no one else gets hurt," she finished for him.

"Right. Especially you, Ucchan. Some day one of these monsters is gonna go straight for you, trying to get you before you can banish it. I know a lot of stuff now, the Hiryu Shouten Ha, the Moko Takabisha, the Kachu Tenshin Amaguriken. Tofu even taught me a bit about pressure points while I was staying there. I think you got the potential to do most of that."

"Me?"

"Sure. You can already focus your chi into a weapon, like Kuno does with a sword or Ryouga when he flings his bandanas."

"I don't understand."

"Here, let me show you." Ranma grabbed a throwing spatula from her. "You've got more muscles than most girls and you prove it the way you swing that battle spatula around, but you ain't strong enough to throw this thing and stick it into steel or concrete."

"Of course I can." She took it back and soon the thrown weapon stuck quivering in the remains of the mailbox.

"You can do it, Ucchan, but it ain't strength. The blade is steel, but so is the mailbox. It should just bounce off, but it doesn't because you focus your chi into it. If you can do that, I'm sure you can do more, if you'll let me teach you."

"I'd like that, Ranchan."

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Akane squeezed Ryouga's hand tightly. After all the uncertainty, it was a relief to know. Yet it was still frightening.

"You need to tell your family."

"I know, Dr. Tofu, but what if they..."

"Your father will bawl his eyes out, but what else can you expect from him? Kasumi will support you, and I'm sure Ryouga will, too."

The Lost Boy was silent, his thoughts racing. _I'm trapped and so is she. We aren't ready. There's still a part of me that wants Akari. Kami-sama, what do I do now?_

"Ryouga?" the doctor asked.

"I...I want what's best for her, but how can I promise anything?" Sorrow and bitterness colored his words. "She needs someone who can be there for her. That's not me, not with my sense of direction. She needs someone strong to protect her. That's not me, either."

"No, Ryouga, you are strong," Akane insisted.

"Strong? Someone strong doesn't turn into a puny little pig. They don't..." He bowed his head and sighed. "They don't do what I did back at Ryugenzawa. They do what's best for her. They wait until she's gotten over...they wait until she's old enough...they don't..."

There were tears in his eyes, but Ryouga laughed. It wasn't a very pleasant laugh.

Akane grabbed his face and turned it towards her. "I'm right here, Ryouga, stop talking about me like I'm not here." Angry features smoothed to a weary smile. "You don't seem to be getting lost as often and even when you're weak physically you've got a lot more courage than he does."

She didn't have to say who. Even now, she was thinking of Ranma, he saw it in her eyes. Ryouga forced a confident smile and prayed she would believe it.

_Curse you, Ranma Saotome. I'm in hell and it's...it's all...it's all...it's **my** fault._

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

The sign said, 'Ranchan and Ucchan's', which Kasumi found odd. Things were stranger inside. Shampoo sat behind the grill cooking and the young man serving as waiter looked vaguely familiar.

"Would you care to have a seat, Miss Tendo?" The boy's nametag said 'Konatsu.'

Kasumi sat down, taking the proffered menu, and ordered. She savored every bite, enjoying a meal that she didn't have to make. The food was excellent, even though there was something subtle missing, the hint that this meal was prepared by a skilled chef, but not the expert who usually tended the grill. Most people wouldn't have noticed the difference.

"Excuse me, Konatsu."

"Is anything wrong with the food, Miss Tendo?"

"No, it's delicious. Please tell that to Shampoo."

"I know she will appreciate the compliment."

Kasumi took a closer look at the waiter. "Tell me, Konatsu, have you ever been to Jusenkyou?"

He shook his head.

"Do you have a twin sister?"

He shook his head a second time.

Kasumi nodded towards Shampoo. "Have you heard about the Amazon Laws? I'm not sure it's safe for her to be seen like this."

Konatsu hung his head. "I know it's not safe, but she wants to pay Ukyou back for letting her stay here and she's tired of hiding."

"Oh. Where is Ranma?"

"Upstairs with Ukyou. I think they're, um, busy right now." Konatsu blushed which made Kasumi blush and wonder what things might be like when she married Tofu. She forgot her meal and her reason for being there and just stared into space, smiling.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"I'm sorry, but we need to close the restaurant."

Kasumi blinked, realizing she'd been daydreaming again, and turned to face Ukyou. "No, I'm the one who needs to apologize. It was quite rude of me to forget the time."

Ukyou smiled in reply. She'd turned to clear the next table when Kasumi called her name.

"Yes?"

"I need to talk to Ranma. Would it be alright if I stayed for a bit after you close?"

The other girl looked hesitant. News from the Tendo home was usually not good news for her.

Kasumi smiled. ""I'll help clean up to make up for any inconvenience."

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Mousse hung upside down, though he was in no danger of falling. His own chains and Kodachi's ribbons secured him tightly to the tree. He struggled, but he had little hope of freeing himself.

Then the gymnast danced forward and secured the chains to each other with a series of padlocks, erasing that hope.

"That's not fair!"

"So who claimed life was fair?" Kodachi replied. The words were insolent, almost mocking, but there was a sadness in her eyes. Mousse blinked, wondering if that was a trick of the moonlight or his own feeble eyesight or the fact he was hanging upside down. Or was it real?

"Let me go." His words were far from original.

"No."

He opened his mouth to protest, but Kodachi spoke first.

"I always wanted a handsome man to spend the night." Her voice was deep, seductive, and Mousse felt his glasses begin to fog up. The girl reached up and stroked his cheek. Their gazes locked for a moment, then Kodachi snatched her hand back like it was on fire. She stared in wonderment as if the limb had developed a life of its own, then let it drop to her side.

"Too bad that's the only way I'll get a handsome man to stay the night." Her voice was almost a whisper, but it didn't mask her pain. "You're doing this for Shampoo. I don't know why, but I know it's true."

Mousse nodded.

"Why are we fools, all of us fools, chasing people we know we'll never catch?" Tears brimmed in her eyes, though she wasn't quite crying.

"Because Ukyou finally caught Ranma." Mousse gave an exasperated sigh. "If she could succeed, then we..."

Kodachi raised her hand to his lips, silencing the boy.

"We've been acting because of desire or the delusion that being with the one we say we love would solve all our problems. Not that she doesn't find him attractive or think that her life would be better if he was a part of it. Of course she feels that. But what have we done to show them we loved them?"

Mousse opened his mouth, but she still didn't let him speak.

"We said we loved them, but all we ever gave them was words. Did you ever try to help Shampoo when she needed it? Did you ever listen to her problems and want to make them all better, because it would make her happy? Do you even know what her problems are?"

The girl turned away and her next words were almost a whisper. "I never knew about his curse. Ranma never trusted me enough to tell me. And I did so many things to the girl I didn't know was him."

Kodachi turned back, but it seemed like she couldn't see Mousse anymore, like she didn't know or care if he was there. It was unpleasantly like the way Shampoo treated him. He didn't know what to say, but the Kuno girl wasn't done talking to herself.

"But...but he trusted her. He never told me about the time Happosai made him weak. I bought the information from Nabiki after it was all over. But he took Ukyou with him and went off into the mountains to train. If he hadn't found a cure, I don't think they would have come back."

"And when Mr. Tendo kicked him out, he went straight to her restaurant. He couldn't solve that problem with martial arts, so he went to the one person he trusted to help him, even though I'm sure he never admitted he needed help. He knew she'd take him in. He knew she'd always be there for him when he needed it."

"He never trusted me like that and I gave him no reason to."

Then she was gone into the night, leaving Mousse to recall the one opponent Shampoo had truly needed help against, the Ghost Cat who'd tried to claim her as its bride. The first time, she'd gone to Ranma and he didn't find out she needed help until she didn't need it anymore. The second time, when she'd been magically bound to the shrine, Mousse had been there, but she'd ignored him and asked Ranma for help. When he showed up anyway, his jealousy and anger had nearly left her trapped as a cat, forever wedded to the ghostly feline.

_And the kiss that cured her proved who she really loved._

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Are you okay, Ranchan?"

He stared out the window at the starlit sky and didn't reply at first. "I dunno, Ucchan. This takes some getting used to."

She didn't know what to say, so she stepped forward and wrapped her arms around him, clasping them across his chest. They stood that way for quite a while before he spoke again.

"I trust Kasumi, but the information comes from Nabiki and I never trusted her."

He felt his fiancée's head rest against his back and she finally spoke. "Why would she have lied about something like this? She couldn't gain anything from a lie, could she? And I know I don't think much of your Dad, but the evidence seems pretty convincing. The back of the photograph of Kurumi and Natsume; the one where their father promised them they could be members of the Anything Goes School if they proved themselves to be true martial artists. He may have signed it as Soun Tendo, but he also marked it with his thumbprint."

"A thumbprint that matches the one on the seppuku contract he made with Mom. But that would mean Happosai lied to cover for Pops. And the old pervert had a picture of himself with the girls."

"Who do you think took the picture?" she replied. "And the picture with the promise, where it showed the girls and their father's back, who took that picture? Besides, you can't tell me that was Happosai's back, that man was broadly built and he towered over the girls."

"I dunno, Ucchan, but if it's true...if it's true then Pops has got a lot to answer for. It means he put his own kids through hell to try to make them better martial artists. It means he lied to my mom. It means he abandoned a woman that loved him. It means he let other people take the blame for his failures. It means he left a couple little girls barely old enough to attend school to fend for themselves."

Her arms tightened around him and he heard the sharp intake of her breath. "I guess Pops already did most of that to you, didn't he?"

"And he did the rest to you and your Mom," she replied.

"You're right," he sighed. "So I guess it's up to me to do what's right for my sisters. Even if these notes of Nabiki's are right, it's gonna take some time to find them. I may be gone for a while."

"Well, I'm coming with you, Ranchan."

"What about the restaurant?"

"Shampoo and Konatsu can run it till we get back."

He hesitated, then nodded.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

It felt good to be on the road again, to see new sights every day, to experience new things. Nerima lay days behind and Ranma wasn't sure he wanted to go back to the same walls, the same streets, and the same endless cycle of problems.

_Maybe it's because I knew there were people that did care about me, maybe that's why I stayed._

They'd taken the train to Kansai, the place he'd first met her. It held a lot of memories for them both, but the area contained more than memories. They watched the sun set over the mountains, the light reflected in Lake Biwa, the largest lake in Japan. They huddled together in the cold of the mountain night, drawing warmth from each other as they watched the stars in the clear crystal sky, more stars than you could ever see through the lights and haze of Tokyo.

_I never got a chance to enjoy that traveling with Pops._

But the weather was still too cold to want to spend it camping outside, one night had proved that; so they took full advantage of the area's famous hot springs.

"What's wrong, Ranchan?

They sat together in the spring, her head on his shoulder, watching the snow gently drift down, melting instantly when it struck the steaming water.

"This is like the place my parents had their honeymoon, Ucchan. Pops even carved their names on one of the trees, next to the words 'eternal love'."

"Both names under the carving of an umbrella, Ranchan? That's pretty romantic for your Dad."

"He carved the words, he probably even meant 'em, Ucchan, but I don't think they love each other, not anymore."

"That's why you're feeling down?"

"Yeah, I guess so. Ucchan, promise me if I ever end up like Pops..."

"You won't."

"I don't want you to go through what he did to my Mom. I don't want my kids going through anything like Jusenkyou or the Cat Fist. Promise me that if I ever do end up like Pops, you'll get yourself and the kids out."

"You aren't gonna end up like your Dad, so I'm not gonna promise that." Neither spoke for quite a while, but both teens were smiling.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

They stood along the rugged northern coastline, watching the gray waves roiling below. The scene was stark and cold, yet it held a feral, fascinating beauty which refused to be tamed by anything human.

Ranma glanced at Ukyou out of the corner of his eye. Her dark hair fluttered in the wind, its flowing movements reminding him of the sea below. She was smiling in spite of the memories this place held for her, memories of a lonely abandoned girl struggling against the sea, a hopeless struggle that she never gave up on.

_Just like she never gave up on me, in spite of everything._

"Sorry, Ucchan."

"What for?"

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Master." Genma instinctively dropped into the Crouch of the Wild Tiger. While he knew several other stances, this was the best for groveling at someone else's feet. The portly martial artist did just that for several minutes.

"Oh shut up," Happosai spat.

Genma froze in place, the only movement a bead of sweat inching its way down his forehead. There was something different about the Master, more power there than Genma had ever sensed, but something was wrong with that power. The old man's eyes seemed to burn straight through his student, exposing every lie, every deception.

"Where were you when I needed help? Where were my students when I needed them?"

Genma cringed. If Happosai admitted he had needed help, it must have been serious and the old lecher would want a piece of his hide for it.

"M...Master, we didn't know." If he could keep the little troll distracted by talking, he might have a chance to use the Saotome Ultimate Technique and flee.

"So what are you doing in China, Genma?"

_Uh-oh._

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

_I'm doomed._

He'd been too grateful that the old master had offered aid instead of vengeance to be properly suspicious. His intention had been to sneak in quickly and quietly, find his son, and escape before the Amazons knew they were there. That plan lasted just long enough for Happosai to spy the first of the women.

_He wasn't even a decent distraction._

The next time he saw Happosai, the old lecher had bounced off his head and escaped just before the pursuing mob of angry young Amazons flattened Genma. When he regained consciousness, he was securely bound. He tried feigning unconsciousness, but Cologne ended that by jabbing her staff into his ribs. Genma wheezed and tried to sit up, but the ropes didn't give him enough flexibility to manage it.

"Why was Happosai so much stronger?" Cologne asked sternly. "He stole every bra and panty in the whole village, even the ones that were being worn at the time."

Genma's eyes widened, he stared at Cologne, and turned very pale. "Every bra and panty?"

"Of course, are you deaf as well as stupid?

Sweat beaded on his forehead. "Ev...even yours?"

The Amazon elder bust into gales of laughter, and Genma released the breath he hadn't realized he was holding. Then Cologne's eyes met his and she smiled a large and not very pleasant smile. "How could he possibly have stolen mine, when I never wear any?"

Genma rolled onto his back, closed his eyes and groaned as he felt the contents of his stomach beginning to rise in revolt.

Cologne laughed again, then jabbed him the ribs with her staff. "Enough of amusing myself at your expense. Why was Happosai so much stronger than before?"

"I don't know. There's something wrong with him." Genma told the truth, but he doubted anyone would believe him. Cologne's staff spun towards his face and he barely rolled out of the way.

"Really, it's true!" His tone was more urgent now.

"I know." She hit him anyway.

"Then what did you do that for?" he growled.

"You led Happosai here." She faked another blow to his head, then spun the staff and caught him in the ribs.

"I had no choice," he wheezed. "And he could have found the village without me."

"I know." She struck him several more times, her staff almost blurring with the speed. Genma lay still, moaning. "That is why your punishment is so light." She rapped his head again. "Most of the tribe wanted to leave you incapable of fathering children."

"Yeep!"

"Exactly. The fact that your son turned out as well as he did persuaded them. You are far more fortunate than you deserve." She landed a final blow in Genma's much abused ribs and sat down, looking directly into the prone martial artist's eyes.

"That should satisfy them, but I want to know why you really came here. Were you looking for the springs, to find the cure for your curse?"

Genma blinked in surprise. He hadn't thought of that.

"I didn't think so," the Amazon elder nodded. "Something about the place makes people forget about using it. Many can't find it when they do think to search for it."

"I just want my son back."

"I haven't got him."

"You expect me to believe that?" He fell silent for a moment. "But where can the stupid boy be, then? I was sure that since he was gone, and you, and Shampoo..."

"What?" Cologne's eyes narrowed and Genma feared for his life again. Hesitantly, he repeated his words and she smiled, which was far from the most pleasant of sights. She had him repeat it again to the other Amazons, how both Ranma and Shampoo were missing.

One of the others said something short and sharp in Mandarin, a language he didn't understand. Cologne replied in the same language, her tone firm and insistent, and the strange smile never left her face. Another woman said something else and soon most of the Amazons were speaking loudly and rapidly, often at the same time.

Genma groaned and rolled onto his back, ignoring his captors. _So where is the stupid boy, then? And how am I going to find him once I escape? I've just wasted weeks getting here and it will take weeks to get back to Nerima._

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Nooo!" The anguished words echoed off the walls of Tatewaki Kuno's private shrine to his true loves. Akane Tendo and Ukyou Kuonji smiled from half-a-hundred photographs. Kuno deluded himself that the smiles were for him.

"It can not be. First the foul sorcerer forces himself on the first of my true loves, the pure and tidy Akane Tendo, and now he has stolen away the beauteous Ukyou Kuonji in the dead of night for who knows what foul purpose and yet I had not even heard of it until they have been gone yet these many days."

He didn't attend the same class as Ranma and Ukyou, but he'd noted her disappearance from school immediately. It had taken a lot longer to find they weren't in Nerima, but Nabiki, his best information source, was gone forcing him to depend on other lesser talents.

"Fear not, Ukyou Kuonji. I, Tatewaki Kuno, the Crimson Avenger of Furinkan High, shall find you, though the trail be colder than the chill of the winter's frost, colder than the depths of hell itself. Soon I shall smite this wild beast and rescue you from his foul embrace, this I swear upon my honor as a samurai." As if on cue thunder rumbled ominously in the background.

"Sasuke!"

The ninja materialized and knelt.

"Sasuke, we shall be leaving on what may well prove to be a long and most perilous quest. We shall seek for this vile sorcerer to the very ends of the earth and beyond if need be, to rescue a fair and gentle maiden after which she will no doubt be overcome with gratitude and thank me in a most passionate manner."

The little ninja sighed so softly the boy could not hear, but he was wise enough not to complain aloud.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

The couple sat on the edge of the cliff watching the sea birds and the sun sinking over the waves.

"This is taking longer than I thought. We coulda made it to Jusenkyou by now."

"Just where is that, anyway, Ranchan?"

"The Bayankala Mountains are about three weeks walk into China. Or two if you're being chased by someone you think is trying to kill you. That's why I always looked for cures close to home. I knew I'd be gone for a month-and-a-half or more even if everything worked out. You'd think with all the weird magic floating around Nerima, there'd be something to cure curses that still worked."

"But there are no simple solutions." He gave a deep sigh. "Sorry, finding my sisters is taking a lot longer than I thought."

"It's nothing, Ranchan."

"Sure, it's nothing compared to the ten years you spent looking for me, but it's still a long time for you to be away from your restaurant."

Ukyou sighed as well. "Do you remember the Yamogi Valley?"

"Yeah, it's where I learned the Hiryu Shouten Ha."

"And how much time did you and I and your Dad and the others spend there? How long did it take us getting there and back? It's not the first time I've been away from my restaurant, and that's okay because I own it; it doesn't own me."

"But we don't know how long this search is going to be," he replied. "All we got is rumors that they might be in Kansai."

"So maybe we're doing this the wrong way, Ranchan. We're trying to find your sisters. Why not do something that makes them want to find us?"

"Like what?"

"Tell me what you know about them, then maybe I can come up with a plan."

"I'm not sure. I don't really know them." But he tried to recall what little he knew.

"So they're both good martial artists," Ukyou summarized. "They can focus their chi through their weapons."

He nodded. "Natsume, the older one, can project whirlwinds using that weird looking staff she carries. That puts her ahead of you and Kurumi who only focus your chi into the weapon, but behind me and Ryouga who can actually throw energy around without needing no weapons."

"So how do I get so I can do that, Ranchan?"

"I dunno, me and Ryouga's stuff is based on strong feelings."

"Sorta like the Mamonos?" He felt her tense.

"Kinda, only we project energy based on our feelings, and those things absorb it. Sorta. It's gotta be why Aijou sucked up Ryouga's attacks and neither it nor Shinrou liked my chi blast."

"How does it work, then?"

"I ain't so good at explaining, but the Moko Takabisha is based on confidence."

"Yeah, but I don't have an ego the size of Mount Fuji like you do, Ranchan."

"Hey!"

She stuck her tongue out at him and giggled.

"Okay," he sighed, "skip that. The Shishi Hokoudan is based..." He stopped, seeing fear in her eyes. "Right, sorry, skip that one, too." He took a breath and looked down at the sea, considering the emotions the Mamonos had fed on.

_Sorrow and fear have been a part of Ucchan's life, a big part, but I don't want her using them. I don't think she really hates anybody, not even Pops. I guess that leaves..._

"Maybe you could do one based on anger. You sure had a lot of that when you first fought me."

"So did you, Ranchan." Her heavy battle spatula had been twisted like putty in her fiancée's hands. "I haven't seen you that angry since."

"I'd been attacked by people before," he replied, "but I always knew why, even if it wasn't my fault, I knew why I got attacked - Ryouga, Kuno, Akane, Mousse - they all like to bellow their reasons at the top of their lungs. A lotta times they were dumb reasons, but at least I knew why."

"But you didn't when I attacked."

"Yeah. You came outta nowhere after ten years and attacked me and I had no idea why. Of course I was mad, until I found out you not only had a reason, it was a real good reason."

"I'm sorry, Ranchan."

"You don't have to be. I've been attacked a lot for stuff that wasn't really my fault and this stuff kinda was. But you forgave me anyway."

They both stared down at the sea for a while.

"Your sisters are used to working as a team." Ukyou continued her summary. "And Kurumi's got an appetite almost as big as yours."

"Hey!"

"Gotcha, Ranchan." She was smiling again. "I wish we knew more about them, but that's enough for now." She told him the plan and it was about martial arts and food, so of course he liked it.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Azusa bounced into the restaurant and Shampoo gritted her teeth. Not only was the lunch rush about to start, but the shorter girl was annoyingly perky, with a cotton candy sticky sweetness that left the Amazon with a sour feeling in her stomach. Even worse, Azusa was a competent martial artist, in spite of behavior that every fiber of Shampoo's being screamed was not the way any warrior should act.

"Go away, Pipsqueak Girl. Shampoo no have anything for you to steal." The broken Japanese was another defense against the pint-sized idiot. Most people didn't waste time talking with someone who didn't speak their language very well.

Unfortunately, Azusa wasn't that easily deterred. "Where is Pierre?"

"Good evening," Konatsu replied as he entered from the storage area behind the main room of the restaurant. The ninja's face was a cheery smile, but he knew there was something about the little skater, something he'd forgotten.

"Pierre," the girl squealed and glommed hold of him. Shampoo glowered at them and he attempted to defuse the situation.

"So you decided to try a different hairstyle, Azusa." It was now a pageboy cut, much shorter than it used to be and looking more like Nabiki's old style than anything else. He didn't expect the girl to start sobbing as she recounted the horror of the bowl cut Principal Kuno had inflicted on her. Even Shampoo looked sympathetic.

"...and...and now it's grown out enough that I could go out again, even if I'm not cute anymore."

"But you are cute," Konatsu reassured. "Trust me, I'm the expert on this."

"Goodie, Pierre still thinks I'm cute!" The girl almost danced around the room, squealing with glee, while Shampoo stared daggers at both her and Konatsu.

"So why are you here, Azusa?" If he could figure that out, he might be able to get her to leave before a fight started.

"Don't be silly, Pierre, you promised to take me on a date if I defeated that icky Mamono."

_Uh-oh._ He gave a quick glance towards Shampoo. "Um, Lady Ukyou won't like it if you damage the restaurant."

The Chinese girl ignored him and glowered at Azusa, who continued dancing around the restaurant, so happy Pierre was going on a date with her that she didn't see doom staring at her.

"Please, Shampoo."

Her eyes turned to him and the anger was still there and hints of tears in the corners of her eyes. He was a good enough observer to know he'd put those tears there and it hurt him knowing he had hurt her. He opened his mouth to speak when the front door slid open, slamming against the end of the track, and another unwanted guest stalked in.

Tatewaki Kuno stood framed in the doorway of the renamed okonomiyaki restaurant. Beside him, a huge mound of luggage almost concealed the family ninja and chief beast of burden, Sasuke. Kuno turned and posed dramatically before speaking.

"Pray tell me, fair one, can you direct me to the current location where the fair mistress of this fine establishment might be residing? Her name, as no doubt you know full well, is Ukyou Kuonji and I fear for her safety in the hands of that wild beast, Ranma Saotome."

Konatsu blinked twice before he realized Kuno had mistaken him for a girl. Old training surfaced as the ninja blushed daintily and brought a slender hand to his mouth. Konatsu giggled shyly behind his hand. "Oh please, sir, you flatter me."

"I am Tatewaki Kuno, the Crimson Avenger of Furinkan High, and I would not engage in base flattery, for truly you are a fair maiden, though perhaps not quite so beauteous as Ukyou Kuonji herself. However, I am a gracious man and shall allow you to date with me as well. Sadly, at the moment I have no gift fit for a maiden such as yourself, save to allow you to bask in the light of mine own magnificent presence, for as a samurai on a vital mission I can carry naught but my blade."

Shampoo made a strangling noise and Konatsu turned, fear erasing the facade of cuteness. The Amazon was trying almost successfully to stifle her laughter and he began breathing again. He forced the mask of girlish cuteness back into place and turned towards Kuno.

"Marianne!" a voice shrieked. Kuno stared at Azusa and for one precious moment he was speechless as his eyes grew wide.

"Umm, of a truth, I see I needs must seek the fair Ukyou Kuonji elsewhere." The boy backed towards the door, trapped by his own habit of using a dozen words when four would have done the job. "I needs must depart and so I bid you all farewell until another time, then."

"Wait, Marianne, I need you to use your magical tanuki powers to make my hair long again!"

Kuno disappeared, pursued by Azusa and followed by the grumbling Sasuke.

"I'm sorry." His whisper seemed a shout in the now silent room. "I'm sorry," Konatsu repeated. The words seemed inadequate, but they were sincere. "When I promised Azusa a date it was so she'd let go of me."

"So, Pervert Ninja Boy like having Stupid Pipsqueak Girl pawing all over him." Anger and sorrow had eroded her command of Japanese again. "Is much better than cripple girl like Shampoo whose legs never work again."

"No, I needed to get free of her so I could find Lady Ukyou so she could heal you. That's why I promised, not that I did you any good," he sighed. "You don't need me anymore than she does."

"Konatsu sound like he mean it, but you too good at pretending, Ninja Boy. How Shampoo know what you say is real?"

"You have to trust me. I can't prove anything. I just need you to trust me. I never wanted to hurt you. I..." And he was gone through the open doorway into the night.

"Airen," the girl whispered. "Airen, Shampoo is stupid one. Shampoo should trust you, like you trust her that day. Is not your fault stupid spell no cure Shampoo."

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

/Anything Goes Paired Martial Arts Competition/

/First Prize - All You Can Eat Okonomiyaki/

/Sponsored by Ranchan and Ucchan's of Nerima/

They'd spent days blanketing the area with the fliers. If this didn't get his sisters' attention, the girls weren't in Kansai.

"Are you sure you wanna fight here, Ucchan?"

She'd trained all those years against the raging sea. Towering columns of rock rose from the water, lit by the morning sun. One of them, wider and lower than the others, formed a natural arena for the battle two meters above the water and nearly four meters across. A narrow ribbon of rock connected it to the land and scattered around it were other taller narrow columns, just wide enough for one person to stand.

"Now I know how you got so good at balancing." He recalled his first and only battle against her, how they'd not just walked but ran and fought along the fencetops. Or the Hot Springs Race, where Ukyou and Shampoo battled inconclusively as they rode logs down a speeding river. He grew cold as he remembered their first battle against a Mamono and the way Ukyou balanced one-legged on Haradachi itself and attacked it with her soulblade.

"Are you okay, Ranchan?"

"Yeah, I'm just trying to get used to this place before the competition starts." He looked at the rocks again, estimating height and distance, accounting for the wind, and ever mindful of the waves below. He was sure they'd win, but he hoped the other martial artists were good enough to make it interesting.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"That was tougher than I thought."

Ranma nodded in agreement. Their first opponents in the tournament had been trained in Martial Arts Dancing and they'd expected the battle to be easy. Every dance either of them had seen, however energetic, should have been confined to the main rock, but this pair from Brazil had been very acrobatic. They'd no problem balancing on their hands on even the smallest spire of rock and lashing out with their feet.

Fortunately, Ranma's Moko Takabisha caught the foreigners completely off guard and the fall into the water eliminated them from the tournament.

"So who are we fighting next, Ranchan?"

"Some couple named Zenkaku and Hibiki. Martial Arts Baseball."

"It's not Ryouga, is it?"

"Nope, it's..."

"What, Ranchan?

"A girl named Yoiko Hibiki."

Ukyou looked puzzled and her fiancé explained about the time he'd disguised himself as Ryouga's little sister.

"Is it her, then?"

"I don't know. I just made the name up. Even Ryouga doesn't know if he has a sister. If he really does and her name is Yoiko...that's just too weird."

"Compared to guys that turn into pigs or ducks or girls, Ranchan? Or magic buckets and ladles and umbrellas and mirrors? Or Yoma rings? Or guys with three fiancées?"

"Kasumi says it's nine, or is it ten? I don't even remember all the names."

Ukyou paused, noticing the pain in his eyes. "Ranchan, are you..."

"Okay? I guess so. I just hate the way everybody got hurt by all those dumb promises. At least I got the best one."

She nearly knocked both of them into the sea when she kissed him.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"I guess she's real," he muttered.

Yoiko Hibiki bore an uncanny resemblance to Ranma's cursed form, though the twin pigtails, chestnut hair, and chocolate eyes were different. Her partner, Akutou Zenkaku, had the red hair and blue eyes. Both wore baseball uniforms; the boy wore a glove and the girl carried a bat.

"You can leave the rock we're using as a battle arena," the referee droned, "you can use the rocky spires as well. If you fall into the ocean or retreat to the mainland, you are out of the fight. The fight continues until both members of one team surrender, fall unconscious, or leave the battle area, voluntarily or otherwise."

Nothing happened for a moment, as the couples eyed each other warily from opposite ends of the rock arena, ignoring the gentle wind tugging at their hair, analyzing their competition. Ranma grinned. Akutou grinned back and suddenly there was a baseball in his hands. Ukyou hefted her battle spatula confidently and the Hibiki girl hesitated, clutching her bat awkwardly.

The bat flew from Yoiko's hands with Ukyou's first swing, but after that the shorter girl became almost impossible to hit, using a variety of acrobatic flips avoid the taller girl's culinary weaponry. But each move cost Yoiko a bit of ground, until her heels touched the edge of the rock outcropping. One more step and she would fall into the ocean.

Ranma couldn't get near his opponent. Every time he tried, Akutou pulled another baseball out for nowhere and hurled it. Those that connected stung, though Ranma had taken worse blows from Ryouga.

And he didn't need a weapon to hit Akutou.

"Moko Takabisha." The baseball martial artist hadn't expected the ball of chi energy, nor did he manage to dodge. As he skidded across the rock, Yoiko flipped through the air, easily clearing Ukyou, and caught her partner just before he reached the edge, then stood protectively in front of him.

"Stronger than she looks," Ukyou commented.

Akutou sat up and shook his head. "Nice move, but aren't you two supposed to use the same martial art?"

Ukyou smiled. "The rules don't require it."

Yoiko's smile was bigger. In one smooth motion, the baseball uniform was gone, replaced by a lavender leotard. Ranma had seen the maneuver before, far too many times.

"Martial Arts Rhythmic Gymnastics," he whispered.

But there was no maniacal laughter or scattering of rose petals. A ribbon appeared in the Hibiki girl's hands and lashed forward, wrapping tightly around her opponent's battle spatula. Yoiko gave a quick tug and Ukyou and her weapon became airborne.

"Ucchan!"

"I'm okay." She balanced on one of the narrow columns of rock. The other girl bounded after her, balancing on another column. Mini spatulas whistled through the air, only to be deflected by the lash of the gymnastics ribbon.

"Your girlfriend is pretty good," Ranma commented.

"Huh?" Akutou seemed dazed.

"What's with you? I didn't hit you that hard."

"Oh, um, sorry," the other boy blushed. "I was just remembering once when Yoiko forgot she didn't have the gymnastics uniform on underneath. At least it was just the two of us practicing in the gym."

Ranma blushed as well. "Ucchan did kinda the same thing once, too."

An ominous silence followed as the boys realized the girls were staring at them, not remotely pleased at this topic being discussed in public.

"I think we better start fighting before the girls kill us," Ranma whispered.

His opponent nodded. "At least this time I didn't mention Yoiko was wearing Hello Kitty underpants."

"That's not too bad; Ucchan wasn't wearing nothing at all."

Akutou winced.

"The girls heard us, didn't they," Ranma sighed.

The other boy nodded.

"We are so dead."

Akutou nodded again.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Author's Notes

The Bayankala (or Bayan Kara or Bayan Har) Mountains are the source of the Yellow River, about a thousand miles from the coast. Ranma and Genma managed that and swimming the China Sea in two weeks in the manga, which is rather impressive.

Akutou Zenkaku, the baseball martial artist is a character I created several years ago for a Ranmaesque Big Eyes Small Mouth game that never got off the ground. (Other players created a battle chef and a badminton samurai.) Akutou means 'wild pitch'. Zenkaku means 'full pitch' and is a printing term (fear the pun).

In the manga, Yoiko Hibiki was yet another alias used by Ranma to deceive Ryouga. In the unplayed BESM campaign, she was one of several potential rivals or romances I created, and the best choice for a teamup. (The Chinese girl was too powerful/not powerful enough depending on which personality was in charge and the Gambler King's daughter would have made for too much of a confrontation with Ranma and Ukyou.)

BTW, three guesses which Jusenkyou spring Akutou, the baseball martial artist, fell into.


	15. Yokkyuu Part 3

Mamono Hunter Ukyou

Yokkyuu: Flame of Desire

Part 3

By Edward A. Simons

Based on characters and situations created by Takahashi Rumiko. Ranma 1/2 and characters copyright Shogakukan, Kitty Animation Circle, and Takahashi Rumiko. Devil Hunter Yohko and characters copyright NCS, Toho Company, LTD., and Mad House. This story revised 2005 by Edward Simons.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

You are not wrong, who deem

That my days have been a dream;

All that we see or seem

Is but a dream within a dream.

Edgar Allen Poe, "A Dream Within A Dream"

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

The last of the sun was mirrored in the sea.

She looked out over the ocean and gave a deep sigh. "I'm sorry."

He didn't speak for almost a minute. "Um, I don't know what you're apologizing for, Ucchan, but it's okay, whatever it is."

"No, it isn't," she insisted. "I promised myself I was never gonna hit you."

"It's alright," he chuckled. "I'm used to getting..."

"But..."

"How many times did Shampoo park a bicycle on my head or Akane smack me with a table or something? What you did was nothing."

"But..."

"Hey, I coulda dodged any time I wanted," he insisted.

"Then why...why didn't you?"

This silence stretched longer, so long she'd decided he wouldn't reply; but he did in a voice so faint she barely heard it over the murmur of the sea below.

"I...um, I've caused...I mean, none of you three would have half as many problems if..." He took a deep breath. "You got kidnapped by those ugly ninjas. That creepy Ghost Cat was after Shampoo. Akane got kidnapped so many times that I lost count. I knocked Shampoo out when I she first got to Nerima and I really smacked you around when you first showed up, and that...that was nothing."

He stared out over the ocean. "Shampoo...she ain't never gonna walk again 'cause I was too slow going up against Haradachi. It's my fault you got hurt by Aijou. Akane...her sister...I killed her sister and...and...I almost killed you that day at the school, when I used...I used..."

"It's okay, Ranchan." She shivered, not from the evening chill, but from the heavy chi she felt in him, the same kind of chi he'd used for the Perfect Shishi Hokoudan. "It's okay," she repeated, wrapping her arms around him and resting her head on his shoulder.

"No, it ain't, Ucchan. I...I thought I'd killed you. I care about you...I care about them, too, but all I seem to do is hurt you guys. Anytime any of you want to smack me around you've got the right and more than enough reason."

"You won't fight back?" she whispered, her breath tickling his ear.

"The only time I did..." He swallowed and bowed his head. "The only time...I was..." He shook his head. "No, I was fighting that stupid magical Battle Dougi that Akane was wearing, I wasn't fighting her. I didn't want to fight her." He took a deep breath. "And I ain't ever gonna fight one of you girls again, not like that."

"Ranchan," she sighed, "that makes what I did even more wrong. I shouldn't hit you just because I'm mad or embarrassed."

The last of the light was gone; the sun had faded beneath the waves. She let go of him and called his name softly. "Hold out your hand," she insisted. When he did, she linked her little finger with his. "Pinky promise, Ranchan."

"Pinky promise?" He scratched his head with his free hand. "Like when we were kids?"

"Just like when we were kids," she said earnestly. "I promise I'm not going to hit you again, not ever, and this time I'm gonna keep that promise."

"Um, you never promised that to me before and it ain't like you gotta promise me nothing," he replied. "But as long as we're promising..." He pulled just a little tighter on their linked fingers and looked directly into her eyes. "Ucchan, I promise the same thing I promised when we were kids; the same thing I promised again during that whole Secret Sauce mess. I didn't really know what I was promising. I didn't so good a job." He paused for a moment that seemed to stretch forever. "Ucchan, I promise I'll always take care of you, and this time I'm gonna keep that promise."

He saw the tears in her eyes, but she was smiling as she kissed him.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"I'm tired of fighting you. Nothing really changes."

Mousse didn't answer at first. The gymnastics ribbon made an effective gag until he sliced it with a concealed blade. "Does that mean you give up, Kodachi?" He flung several chains, which the girl easily leapt over.

"No, I mean you aren't trying and that's boring." She pretended to yawn, hiding another gymnastics club behind her back. "You try to steal these things again and again, but you always hesitate when you could have won." She flung the club, missing him by a small enough distance that he might think it was accidental. "You aren't even trying any more, Mousse."

"That's not true!" He was so busy yelling he almost didn't dodge the club when it bounced off a tree towards his head. He ducked, then sensed a reddish blur coming from his left. It was another piece of gymnastics equipment that had somehow materialized from underneath Kodachi's leotard. A sphere, about the size of a soccer ball, and it was too close to dodge. A javelin materialized in his hands and there was a sharp pop as he accidentally released the paralysis gas inside.

The Kuno girl skipped forward and bowed mockingly above her helpless opponent, but she was smiling. "I expect better of you. It was easy, too easy, to make you angry and that made you lose focus. You should be better; but you aren't fighting with your whole heart." She paused, then softly added, "Like my brother fought when he thought Ranma was really a girl."

There wasn't enough moonlight for Mousse to see her blush as she remembered why Tatewaki had hesitated in all those battles. He did see her shake her head as she tried to deny that there might be another reason for Mousse's hesitation; that any man might hold back for fear of hurting her.

"We have some time before you can move again, but you can still speak." Kodachi had spent a lot of time trying to research a powder that only paralyzed certain muscle groups. She had wanted the opposite effect, a powder that left the victim mobile but voiceless, to use on her brother and silence his ceaseless rages against Ranma. Still, this powder had proved useful. "So tell me why you're doing this, then."

She didn't expect an answer, but she got one, though it was a long time in coming. "I...I'm doing it for Shampoo."

"Yes, I did figure that out." Sarcasm dripped from her words. "You've said, I'm sorry, that should be you've **yelled** it several times over the past few weeks." She stretched her arm, pointing towards the greenhouse. "Why do you want these plants?"

"I need them as ingredients for a potion. I have to save Shampoo."

Kodachi gave a short chuckle. "When has she ever counted on you to save her? She'll just run to Ranma."

"She can't run and he can't help her," the boy insisted.

"Why not? He is a better martial artist than you."

"Martial arts can't solve this." Mousse closed his eyes and sighed. "She's...she's dead."

Kodachi heard the anguish in the boy's voice and bit back a mocking reply. "Isn't it a little late for potions, then?" She gave a vague attempt at a reassuring smile.

"Not this one," the boy insisted. "Even after this long, it's not too late.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"So just how did you beat that Martial Arts Baseball guy and the girl?" he asked.

"Actually, the Hibiki girl was just as mad and embarrassed as I was and she..." His fiancée's voice trailed away.

Ranma nodded in understanding. "So how did you beat her, then?"

"Yoiko and I, we didn't feel like fighting anymore, not after..."

"So what did you do?"

She blushed and spoke quietly. "We, uh, settled it with a game of Rock-Scissors-Paper."

Neither said anything for a while.

"Do you forgive me, Ranchan?"

"Like I said, there's nothing to forgive." He noticed the look in her eyes and sighed. "Okay, I forgive you, Ucchan, but I still think you didn't do nothing wrong."

"Then are you mad because we only took second place in the tournament?" she asked.

Ranma shrugged. "It's not like it really counted, we were just doing this so we could find my sisters." He bowed his head and fell silent for a moment. "Sorry, but I sure was hoping this would bring them out. It's gotta be hard for them, just the two of 'em on the road."

"Two is a lot less lonely than one."

"I said something dumb again didn't I, Ucchan?"

She smiled sadly.

"That last fight was a disaster." He'd always felt comfortable talking about martial arts. "After Cologne, I shoulda never taken little old ladies for granted."

"We couldn't have known Martial Arts Knitting was so dangerous," she said.

"You know that the fight wasn't the dangerous part," he replied. "It would have to start raining right before the battle and after they won those two old bats would have to insist they didn't want any okonomiyaki, they just wanted us to marry their grandsons."

Ukyou smiled. She'd turned bright red when Ranma in his cursed form had announced he was already engaged to her; but it had gotten rid of the unwanted matchmakers.

"It'll work out," she said, trying to sound reassuring. "We'll find your sisters."

"Yeah, I guess so. After all, we still have all the ingredients to make the prize. We can try again somewhere else."

But they couldn't. All the foodstuffs were gone. A tall, serious-looking girl in a blue schooldress with her dark hair pulled back in a ponytail stepped out of the darkness and bowed. "I'm sorry, I try to control her, but my little sister Kurumi was so hungry."

A shorter girl with an unruly mop of lighter colored hair stood behind her, wearing a different sailor-style school uniform. "Hey, it's Ranma," the girl beamed. "I'd recognize that pigtail anywhere. What are you doing here in Kansai? And who's the girl with you?"

"She's my fiancée," the boy replied.

Kurumi bounced forward, circling Ukyou. "Wow, I hope I get a late growth spurt like you! You're so much taller than the last time we met and your breasts have gotten a lot bigger."

"Um." Ukyou's cheeks felt like they were on fire.

"And growing your hair out really suits you. It looks a lot better than the way you used to have it cut short."

"Actually, I'm..."

"This ain't Akane," Ranma explained. "This is Ucchan, my fiancée Ukyou Kuonji."

The older girl, Natsume, frowned. "A new fiancée? What happened to the old one?"

"I bet she died fighting bravely or something, that would be so tragic, and you found solace in the arms of this other girl, though you were never the same again," Kurumi gushed. Her tone hardened. "Or did you just dump her for this girl? She is a lot cuter." She frowned at Ranma. "That sure better not be the only reason. And what about the dojo, then? Wasn't that where you were living? What about your dad, what does he think about this? And where is he, anyway? How is Akane taking it? She was so nice, she made all that food for me. Hey, how about her family?" Kurumi paused for just a moment to take a breath. "I bet you two are eloping, aren't you! Wow, that's so romantic, I wish a cute guy would elope with me."

"Um, well, uh..." Ranma had clearly been overwhelmed by the barrage of questions and Ukyou couldn't help but chuckle.

The noise drew Kurumi's attention and the Kuonji girl stopped laughing. "So where did you meet Ranma? How many dates have you been on? Has he kissed you yet?" The short girl put her hands on her hips and glared at Ranma. "I bet he hasn't; I bet he's too chicken to kiss you."

Ukyou sighed. "Actually..."

"Hey, have you got a brother?" the other girl continued. "I bet he'd be cute. Do you think maybe he'd elope with me, that would be so romantic?"

"Um..."

"Kurumi," her big sister interrupted, "you aren't giving them a chance to answer."

"And we've got something important we gotta tell you," Ranma replied. "But it's gonna take a while to explain."

"Then can we get some more food first?" Kurumi asked.

The others just stared at her.

"What? I'm still hungry."

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Do I trust him?" she whispered as she looked up at the three-quarters moon, but it didn't answer her. It was nearly midnight and Kodachi still hadn't come to a decision.

Mousse had seemed genuine when he claimed the plants he needed would allow him to work powerful magics and bring Shampoo back from the dead.

"I didn't know she was gone." It was habit for the Kuno girl to speak her thoughts aloud even though she wasn't yelling. "I suppose I should be glad to be rid of a rival, but I'm not. It doesn't feel like she's dead, but it doesn't feel like Nabiki's dead, either."

She stared down from the roof of the greenhouse at the estate grounds, enjoying its beauty for a little while.

"Maybe I can't feel anything anymore. Maybe I've grown that cold." She shook her head. "I've been wrapped in my own selfish dreams, just like he is now. Mousse may be a fool, but I don't know what I'd give to have someone want me badly enough to be a fool."

There was something wrong with the Chinese boy's plan, she could sense that much. He was hiding something, as she had hidden herself from the world so no one would ever get close enough to hurt her again.

"But I robbed myself of warmth and light, until Ranma, until meeting him forced me to realize I was dying inside, just like my plants would die without warmth and light. The only one I really hurt was myself."

She glanced up at the moon, but there were still no answers there.

"If Mousse is lying, I haven't lost anything I can't replace. If he's telling the truth, then maybe I'll be helping someone else for once in my life."

She laughed darkly.

"I don't know which joke is worse, that no one will believe I'd help someone else or that all Mousse's efforts still won't win her love."

Kodachi didn't laugh anymore; she uttered an agonized sob and raised her hands to her eyes, failing to stop the tears.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Remember, Pops never promised you'd inherit the Tendo dojo, just the Anything Goes School."

Natsume frowned, clearly still weighing things. "Well, our father did promise that."

"But he didn't mention dojos at all," Ranma added.

"No," the girl replied hesitantly.

"And you can tell Kurumi gets her skills at swiping stuff and her appetite from Pops."

Ukyou yawned and nodded in agreement with him. Dawn was nearing, and none of them had slept. Her fiancé and his half-sisters had spent the night talking, sharing their separate adventures.

"She's also trusting, like you, Ranchan."

Kurumi had accepted her half-brother instantly and almost crushed him in a hug. Natsume, the older girl, had been more distant physically and emotionally, too polite to disagree out loud, but Ukyou still saw doubt in other girl's eyes, heard it in re-asking questions that had already been answered.

She's been alone for so long, she doesn't dare believe that loneliness is over. Like me. And she's smart enough to know that being related to Genma isn't the best thing in the world. It takes a lot for someone to walk willingly into that.

Ukyou gazed longingly at her fiancé. "You're worth the risk, Ranchan." She kissed him before he could react, while Natsume blushed and Kurumi cheered.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"This is all your fault, you stupid, ungrateful child. Don't you have any consideration for your father? You leave me no choice."

The rest of Genma's words were incoherent grumblings against his son, but now he knew that his trip to China had been a fool's errand. Cologne had explained that the last she'd known about Ranma, he was with Ukyou.

"Consider that knowledge a present," the old woman had said. "Your words may have just saved my great-granddaughter's life."

Her statement had made no sense to him; in fact he suspected the old bat had gone senile. She'd said those words just before literally throwing him out of the village.

He'd gotten up and dusted himself off, when Cologne spoke again.

"I give you a final warning, Genma Saotome. Now that the tribe knows Happosai is your master, it would not be safe for you to return to the village. Have you heard of the Death of a Thousand Cuts?"

He nodded. It was one of the more excruciating and lengthy methods of execution ever developed.

Cologne grinned. "The Death of a Thousand Cuts was developed by males. We have worse things in our Book of Punishments. The village has chosen something particularly lengthy for Happosai, should he ever return."

"I'll be sure and give him directions," Genma replied.

The Amazon smiled, then her expression turned serious. "As students of Happosai, you and the other members of the school of Anything Goes have been barred from ever coming here again. That means your son, your friend Soun Tendo, and his daughter Akane. It also means those sisters, Natsume and Kurumi. Whoever's daughters they are, they're part of the school. It also means that wanderer Ryu Kumon who learned your techniques."

Genma wiped some sweat from his brow, then scratched his head. "How did you even know about them?"

"I make it a habit of being informed."

He shrugged. "It wasn't that important, anyway. Oh well, I suppose not being able to go to one small village in all of China isn't that big a punishment."

Cologne smiled. "I don't just mean the village itself. You're still standing on Amazon land. Once you leave you can never return."

"That's still not a very big part of China," he replied.

"You would find it very difficult to get to the Jusenkyou Springs without crossing our territory."

"Oh."

"Of course, there are some ways to get around the ban," the woman continued quickly. "Any member of the Anything Goes School of Martial Arts who brings us Happosai, preferably alive; or returns what he has stolen; or who marries into the tribe may freely visit or pass through the lands of the Amazon tribe."

_Stupid boy, not only did you lead me on a wild goose chase, you wasted weeks of my time, got me into trouble, and ruined my best chance of a cure._

In the weeks that followed, Genma crossed mountains and swum rivers, heading for the coast. He grumbled his way across China, or growled when cold water activated his curse. He grumbled for most of the voyage across the sea, until the coast of Japan was in sight.

Then he cursed loudly and at length. He hadn't even thought of visiting Jusenkyou or getting water from its springs on his way out of the Amazon lands.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Congratulations."

"Why thank you, Akane," Kasumi beamed. Dr. Tofu had finally given her the ring and she'd felt like she was flying since then. Her little sister had noticed the ring immediately, though their father remained oblivious.

"I'm happy for you." Akane's voice was a hoarse whisper and she clutched P-chan close. "But please, can we talk somewhere away from Daddy? I need your help before I tell him something."

Kasumi smiled reassuringly and led Akane upstairs, trying to think of the best way to help her sister explain Ryouga's curse to their father.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

_Am I just running away?_

Kasumi stared at the ring on her finger, thinking of the commitment it symbolized between her and Tofu.

_I've been carrying the burdens in this family. Am I just running from them now?_

She pondered the new dilemma that Akane had shared with her, looking once again for her big sister to chase away the problems with gentle words and a cheerful smile.

_Why did you have to tell me tonight, Akane? I was going to tell father about my engagement and it was going to be a happy, special time. Now I don't know what to do._

She couldn't be angry at her sister; the girl was still so scared and confused by her own problems. She couldn't hate Ryouga, either. The boy didn't say a word, but she saw the pain in his eyes as he agonized over the way Akane felt.

_I told them we'd tell Father tomorrow night, but am I just putting things off, just running from this?_

Kasumi sighed, realizing she'd be getting very little sleep this night.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Ran-Ran's body was covered in sweat and all she wore was a loincloth. Though short, and not so obviously endowed as her tribal sister Shampoo, it was not a child's body. She'd been practicing her martial arts for hours; spinning, turning, leaping, parrying against the sister who wasn't there and might never be again.

_I have to decide. If sister Lin-Lin's soul is gone, it is best that her body follow._

Ran-Ran would never let a mere male see her in this state of undress. Or more precisely she would only let one male.

_But which one?_

She considered Ryouga and blushed. She though of Ranma and blushed again.

_Ranma is more clever, but he also lacks a proper sense of obedience. Both are strong and brave and handsome._

And both had other girls in their lives, girls who'd defeated her even when she'd had her sister's aid. So she trained. She had to become better than one of her rivals, strong enough to finish off one of the outsider girls who had defeated her.

And it was much better than waiting for something to change.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Father, we have to talk," Kasumi insisted. She didn't want to deal with this problem, but fate had left her no choice.

Soun nodded. "Talk about what?"

"There's a reason I invited Ryouga over tonight. He and Akane have several things to tell you."

The younger teens squirmed uncomfortably. Soun maintained his cheerful cluelessness until his oldest daughter upended a kettle of cold water over Ryouga's head. The Tendo patriarch stared wide-eyed until a second kettle poured hot water over the small black piglet.

"I...I...he...Ryouga...Ryouga is..."

"Ryouga is P-chan, Father." Kasumi sighed in exasperation.

"I...I thought...I thought it was the sake..."

"You knew," Akane growled.

"No...I thought it was the sake...if Ryouga was P-chan, then..."

"You knew," the girls chorused.

"So that's why Ranma and Ryouga fought all the time," Soun continued.

"There's more," Kasumi added. She turned to her little sister.

"I...we...um..." Akane took a deep breath. "I'm gonna have a baby."

"Wonderful," Soun beamed, "I always wanted to be a grandfather."

"WHAT?" rang from three throats, shaking the room.

"I knew Ranma had it in him. Now the future of the Tendo School of Anything Goes Martial Arts is assured."

Soun was still smiling when the giant hammer smacked him into unconsciousness.

"You...you malleted Daddy."

"He deserved it," Kasumi smiled.

"But I wanted to," Akane pouted.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Little Azusa is bored."

_That's because little Azusa has a brain the size of a marble,_ Ukyou thought. She said something different. "Konatsu will be ready for your date soon. Shampoo is just helping him with some last minute touches." She didn't know the details, she and Ranma and his sisters had only gotten home a few hours before and the Saotomes were off in the corner chattering away.

"Azusa is still bored," the skater whined.

Ukyou shrugged.

"I know, I can restyle your hair," the shorter girl beamed.

"What?"

"You're a Magical Girl, so you have to look like it."

"I am not a Magical Girl," Ukyou hissed. "I am a **Mamono** Hunter. It's not the same thing."

Azusa ignored her. "We could do your hair up in two little buns like Suzaku no Miko."

"Suzaku no Miko is just some dumb character in a stupid book and I do not want my hair done up in two little buns."

"How about huge loops like your cousin Yohko?" the skater asked.

"How do you even know about that?" Ukyou wondered. "And no, I do not want to look like a Mickey Mouse fangirl."

"Alright, we'll do two long ponytails, like Magical Girl Pretty Sammy."

"I. Am. Not. A. Magical. Girl."

"How about two little buns and two long ponytails, like Sailor Moon," Azusa piped. "That would look really cute."

"I said no!"

"Ucchan already looks really cute." His fiancée beamed with joy and Azusa never realized that Ranma might have just saved her life.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

They were days from Tokyo. Caught between towns, they'd set up camp along the side of the road. Sasuke lay in his sleeping bag, beneath the starlit sky. Beside him, Tatewaki Kuno slept peacefully. The winter night was cold, but sweat beaded on the ninja's forehead.

Tatewaki had openly declared his affection for Ukyou Kuonji, who the ninja believed was male. He'd seen Kuno embrace Ranma, declaring his love and then denying it with the feeble excuse he had mistaken the other boy for the pigtailed girl. Just before they'd left Tokyo, Kuno had flirted with Konatsu, who Sasuke had easily identified as a male ninja.

And Kuno had fled from Azusa Shiratori, who was obviously a girl.

Sasuke glanced nervously at his sleeping employer. The ninja knew he wasn't very attractive, he could admit that. But Tatewaki Kuno was not the most faithful of men. Given enough time away from Nerima with only Sasuke for company, who knew what he might do.

The ninja would not be sleeping well, not for quite a while.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Ryouga had never been on the receiving end of Soun Tendo's angry demon head technique before, but he finally sympathized with Ranma.

"You did what to my little girl!"

"Daddy," Akane tried to interrupt.

"Have you no honor at all?"

"Daddy." The voice was soft, pleading.

"Now what's going to become of the dojo?"

"Daddy." The word was iron, the expression stone.

"Now what's going to happen to the dojo?" Soun repeated helplessly.

Akane smacked him with the dining room table.

"What did you that for?" her father moaned.

"So that stupid dojo is more important to you than I am?" She was doing a wonderful imitation of her father's demon head technique and he found the experience quite unpleasant.

"You are going to shut up, Father," Kasumi insisted. "Shut up and let Akane explain."

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Now what?" she asked.

"It will take several days to prepare." Mousse stared in amazement at the ingredients he needed for the Sapphire Essence Resurrection Elixir, all provided willingly by Kodachi. He smiled, but it was an empty smile. He felt hollow, empty, afraid.

"Can I help?" the gymnast asked, "Potions can be quite fascinating."

"It's not just a potion, there's a magic ritual. It is..." he searched for the word, "dangerous, yes, very dangerous."

"Danger is what makes life interesting, Mousse."

But this wasn't danger, this was sacrifice, and suddenly he realized he wanted to live. "I...um, thank you, Kodachi. I need to be alone for a bit. There are things I need to think about."

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

The hair was done up in an elaborate coiffure. Golden earrings framed a perfect face, and full rich ruby lips almost begged to be kissed. The makeup was done to perfection, enhancing rather than masking the natural beauty. The embroidered crimson Chinese dress clung to feminine curves in ways that seemed magic. The neckline plunged and the skirt was slit up the side, revealing expanses of smooth creamy flesh and hinting at delights still concealed beneath the shadows.

It was any man's dream.

It was only a dream, for beneath the feminine exterior, Konatsu was definitely male.

Ukyou and Ranma stared, barely recognizing their friend. Konatsu smiled nervously and blushed. He and Shampoo had spent hours perfecting this look, preparing for the boy's date with Azusa.

The Amazon smirked. Konatsu's honor required he fulfill his promise to date Azusa, but he never promised he would dress as a man.

Silence filled main room of the restaurant as Azusa stared openmouthed at her date. She blinked, once, twice, a third time, and still she could say nothing. Shampoo almost glowed with happiness; everything was going exactly according to plan.

Then Azusa rushed across the room and glomped Konatsu. "Pierre, this is the cutest thing I've ever seen you wear. It's perfect!"

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"It's Ryouga's." Soun's face was grim.

Akane nodded.

"Then you two have to get married."

"No." Ryouga had been kneeling, head bowed, eyes shut. His voice was a whisper, but he punctuated his statement by putting his fist through the floor.

"No!" The voice was stronger, more confident, but he didn't look up. "Ever since I met you, you've been trying to force Akane to do what **you** wanted. You never, ever asked what **she** wanted. I was just a stupid little pig, but in the last year I've listened to her hopes and fears and sorrows more than you've listened to your own daughter in her entire life!"

The Lost Boy gave a strange, strangled noise, an awful mix of a laugh and a sob; then looked Soun straight in the eyes. "You never asked what Akane wanted," he spat, "you never cared, you never gave her a choice. All you did was push, push, push. You trapped her in one relationship, now you're trying to trap her into another. I won't let you do that. I won't let you destroy..."

Akane's scream of rage interrupted the boy. "You pig, so you don't want me either!"

Ryouga tried to explain, to tell her he did want her, but he wanted it to be her choice, no one else's. He tried. He failed as angry accusations hammered down his words and anger drowned reason, the pain of old wounds pouring forth like a torrent.

"Akane." There were tears in the Lost Boy's eyes.

"You jerk! I was stupid enough to think you cared. I don't need you, Ryouga," she spat. You can just get lost!"

He took her at her word, fleeing through the nearest wall into the winter night.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Starlight filtered through the bedroom curtain.

"Do you think Konatsu's gonna be alright, Ucchan?"

She nodded and snuggled closer to him. "Even Shampoo will get over it. I'm worried about your sisters, though. There's only so much space here. Letting them share a room with Shampoo will work for a few days, but it's kinda crowded."

"They could stay with my mom."

"And how would she like that, Ranchan? They're Genma's daughters by a mistress."

"Actually, I think Pops married their mom, too."

"Kids from a second, bigamous marriage? They're still illegitimate in the eyes of the law. Why would your mom want them around?"

"Uh oh."

"What is it, Ranchan?"

"Natsume's almost a year older than me. That probably means Mom's marriage is the second one. I'm not sure I have the right to use the name Saotome."

"It doesn't change who you are, Ranchan."

"No, but it might set me free of all these promises." He smiled more deeply than she'd seen him smile in a long time. "Pops being dishonorable might mean I've finally got an honorable way out of this mess."

Ukyou let him enjoy the thought, but she doubted the existence of Kurumi and Natsume would end Soun and Genma's obsession with Ranma marrying Akane.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Nodoka heard the pounding at the door and rushed to it, praying it was her son. Instead, a package lay on the doorstep.

_No one delivers at this time of night. There's no stamps or postmark, either._

It was thick enough to hold three or four notebooks, but when she picked it up it felt too light for that. She carried it inside, setting it on the table. In moments the package was open, the wrapping paper neatly folded for reuse.

Nodoka frowned. There was no address, no letter of explanation, only a stack of photographs.

She picked up the first. It looked like Ukyou, her son's other fiancée, or more correctly one of his other fiancées, standing in front of Furinkan High; but the person in the photograph wore a boy's high school uniform. She flipped the photograph over, noting a date inscribed in a precise hand and a name - Ukyou Kuonji.

Nodoka flipped the picture around and stared closely, finding no reassuring bulges on the figure's chest. She dropped it and grabbed up the next, finding it similar. So were the rest, over a dozen, all labeled as Ukyou Kuonji, all looking like a slightly effeminate boy.

_Kami-sama, no! Don't tell me this Ukyou person is one of **those** people. Don't tell me he's making my son into one of those people, too!_

Nodoka shuddered. That would not be manly at all. She looked back in the box, finding copies of school records for elementary, middle, and high school. All were for Ukyou Kuonji. All listed Ukyou Kuonji as a boy.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

He looked up, his eyes lost and pleading.

"That didn't go very well, did it Father? I don't think she'll marry him now."

"But she has to marry Ranma."

"I meant Ryouga." Kasumi sighed, wondering which of them was the parent and which was the child. "She's not going to marry Ranma, not after everything that happened. And she's carrying Ryouga's child, why would he marry her?"

Soun nodded glumly. "I guess you'll have to marry Ranma, then."

Her voice was a hollow whisper. "I'm already engaged to Dr. Tofu."

"That's nice...I mean, that doesn't change anything. Saotome and I promised that our lines would be joined."

"What about the promise Tofu and I made?"

"I'm sorry, Kasumi," he sighed. "That's the way it has to be."

"I see," the girl's face was a mask. She rose silently to her feet, leaving the cups and teakettle. She turned and walked slowly, deliberately, into the hall and up the stairs to her room.

The door never slammed. Soun expected it, but there was just the empty silence.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

A girl lay on the roof of the Tendo home, staring at the stars. She wanted to curse this whole fiancé mess and a thousand other things.

_I want my sister back._

But nothing was the way Ran-Ran wanted it. Her sister Lin-Lin weakened daily, her body fading as her spirit had.

And Ran-Ran had overheard the Tendo family discussion. She'd come seeking the easier rival to destroy, needing something solid, something human to take her vengeance on. But there was no honor in killing a mother-to-be, in fact there was great dishonor.

_More practice. Ukyou could even stand up to Big Sister Shampoo. She'll be much harder to slay than Akane._

Ran-Ran sighed.

_That's pointless. Even if I win he won't want me and there's still this Kasumi girl, another fiancée. She's no warrior. Killing her would be a great wrong, almost a great as killing a mother-to-be._

Movement caught her eye. A shooting star, a lonely chunk of rock entering the atmosphere, burning as it died. Westerners made wishes, but Ran-Ran knew it was a bad omen.

She heard the gate open and glanced down at a panda approaching the house, walking on its hind legs.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Sasuke?"

Only the wind answered.

Kuno stretched and looked around. The sun was still climbing above the horizon. A light dusting of snow had fallen, but there were no noticeable tracks. That was hardly surprising, considering hiding was one of the few things the ninja was skilled at. Not that Tatewaki Kuno was the most observant person in the first place.

But he did see a lone figure walking across the newfallen snow, his eyes fixed on the horizon, driving a path straight as an arrow, going nowhere.

"Greetings, Ryouga Hibiki, it is I, Tatewaki Kuno, the Crimson Avenger of Furinkan High. Truly, fortune smiles upon mine worthy self that we should thus meet. I have discovered a poem, nay, a prophecy that shows we are fated to work together and destroy the vile sorcerer, Ranma Saotome. While you are of limited cleverness, your ample brawn should prove most effective in this noble task."

The Lost Boy, more lost than he had ever felt in his life, stopped and turned slowly. Empty eyes seemed to look through Kuno. Ryouga's mouth twisted in a grimace that he might have intended as a smile.

"Kuno?" Ryouga didn't ask where he was. For once, he didn't care. Something stirred behind the boy's blank eyes and he shook himself like a sleeper trying to wake.

"Kuno," the boy repeated.

"Yes, it is I, that well-beloved and puissant swordsman, Tatewaki Kuno. I offer you the opportunity to assist me in destroying the base and treacherous Ranma Saotome."

"Base? Treacherous?"

"Yes, first he forced himself upon the fair and virtuous Akane Tendo. Now he has abducted the fiery and passionate Ukyou Kuonji, no doubt intending to slake his vile lusts upon her helpless form as well. Of a truth, we must act in haste before another tragedy comes to pass."

Ryouga's laugh was short and sharp. "You're one to talk of honor, you self-righteous asshole. When Ranma was weak, you didn't just attack him while he was helpless, you ganged up on him. And you still lost. I despise you. Even Mousse showed **some** honor by helping us in the fight against that bastard Tarou."

"My honor...my honor is tattered shreds... mocking empty reminders of how I failed, how I hurt people." Ryouga begin walking, bearing steadily towards Kuno. "So many times I failed, so many things I touched turned to ashes, so many times when I was selfish and greedy."

Kuno took a half step backward.

"And that's still better than you! I tried to help Ranma when he was weak. I helped fight against the Orochi, the eight-headed dragon. I tried to save Akane from drowning at Ryugenzawa and during the Charlotte Cup match. I helped pound that jerk Tarou that kidnapped her."

"You never did anything to help anyone. You're as empty as this road to nowhere."

Power flared in Ryouga's outstretched arms as a nimbus of crimson energy formed around him. This was the attack he'd improvised against Ikari's puppets, powered by his rage, his pain, and this time nothing would hold him back.

Kuno's sword cleared its sheath.

"Rekka Jikoku Tomuraigassen," the Lost Boy thundered, unleashing the Raging Inferno of Retribution.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"I don't think you can stay here any longer. One night was dangerous enough."

The girl seemed to collapse into herself. "Please," she whispered, " I haven't got anywhere else to go."

"Kasumi, you really shouldn't stay here before we get married."

"I don't care what people say, Tofu."

He bowed his head. "Kasumi, you're a beautiful woman and I love you and if you stay here another night I don't trust myself to act the way...to treat you...Kasumi, you understand what I'm trying..."

She kissed him and his brain shut down.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"I can think of half a dozen ways this could go wrong, Ucchan."

"So can I," his fiancée replied, "but I can't think of a better way to do this. I told your mom some friends and I would meet her at the public baths."

"So what did Mom say?"

"She seemed very eager to talk with me and she said the public bath would be the perfect place."

"She did?" He scratched his head.

"Yeah, it seemed kind of odd. Anyway, once we relax a bit, I'll introduce Natsume and Kurumi, give her a chance to get to know them. Then, after a bit I'll tell your mom who they really are."

"Are you sure that's gonna work?" Ranma asked.

"No," Ukyou sighed, "but I don't have a better plan, either. At least in the public baths, she won't be near her sword, no matter how bad she takes it."

"Sorry, I wish I could be there with you, Ucchan. This is my problem."

"No, this is our problem."

"Thanks."

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

A night of sleeplessness hadn't given Mousse any answers. If he did this, if he used the Sapphire Essence Resurrection Elixir and the accompanying ritual, he could recall Shampoo's spirit from the afterlife.

At a cost. The guardians of the underworld would seek her and reclaim her unless another soul was offered in her place. Offered willingly.

_That means me. It would have been easy right after she died._

But now it wasn't.

_And I still need a place to house her soul._

He'd planned to use a cat's body, the symbolic link made it close enough to house Shampoo's spirit.

_But I'm not sure her essence will fit inside a cat. If it doesn't, we might lose some essential part of her. And how do I get a cat to the right pool of Jusenkyou when I'm dead? There's no way she could make it that far on her own._

He needed help. Kodachi might, Ranma would aid him, but only if they didn't know the full details until it was too late.

Someone rapped on his door. It had to be the only other person living at the Neko-Hanten. They'd avoided each other since **that** night. They hadn't talked since then. He hadn't talked to anyone but Kodachi since then.

"Go away," he sighed, but the door opened anyway. He looked at the intruder, too tired to even glare.

"I need your help," Ran-Ran said. She'd swallowed a large amount of pride to ask the boy. "You are from the tribe. Only you would understand what needs to be done."

"What?"

"I need to retrieve what is left of my sister, to perform the final rituals for her."

Sleep-starved eyes snapped fully open and Mousse had his answers.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Are you alright, Saotome?"

"I've been better, Tendo." Genma was nursing a headache and wore a fair amount of bandages, thanks to Ran-Ran's ambush just outside the Tendo front door. Soun had arrived in time to hear the girl say "None of this happen if Stupid Panda Man not eat big sister Shampoo's prize," and see her run sobbing into the night.

"Tendo? I could use some more sake here. It helps me think."

Both men had been lubricating their brains since just after sunrise, hoping for inspiration.

"You're sure this will work, Saotome?"

"Trust me, this plan is perfect. Fate is smiling on us. Shampoo has disappeared and not even her great-grandmother knows where she is. After the package I left at Nodoka's last night, Ukyou will be out of the picture, too. That leaves only Akane for him to marry."

"Um, Saotome, I've been meaning to tell you something about that."

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Something had scoured the arc of land, leaving darkness in the midst of white. The thin coating of snow was gone, along with the grass beneath and even several inches of soil. Wispy smoke rose from dry grass smoldering at the edge of the area. Jagged bits of plastic, the bent and melted remains of the tent poles, clawed their way towards the sky.

When Sasuke heard the explosion, saw the flare of light, he'd almost kept going, but freedom was something new and duty an old habit. The two impulses warred, but duty won.

The ninja coughed and leapt over the feeble flames. The blackened earth scrunched beneath his feet. Torn bits of the camp stove lay scattered, still glowing faintly red. Sasuke advanced cautiously to Tatewaki's side. Hair and clothes had been singed away, but his sword was still in his hand and his pulse was strong and steady.

The ninja was too busy tending to his master's injuries to notice crimson traces on the blade, staggering footprints leading off into the snow, or the scarlet stains that accompanied the tracks.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

It felt more like a funeral than a trip to the public baths. Konatsu had offered to push Shampoo's wheelchair, but she'd refused his help, refused to even speak to him. Ranma's mother appeared grim, tightlipped, and she was carrying her katana. Natsume looked reserved, distant, outwardly calm. Only Kurumi was her usual bubbly talkative self.

Ukyou leaned close and whispered to her fiancé. "Why did your mom look at you like that?"

"I dunno," he whispered back, "but she's looking at you the same way." He didn't have to say something was wrong; even he could sense it.

"I think you and Konatsu should come along, Ranchan."

"But I can't go into the girl's side. Mom would recognize me."

"Dummy," she smiled. "I mean for you to be on the guys' side. I'll feel safer knowing you're nearby."

Sometimes a feeling of safety is an illusion, a fading dream.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

In Japan you lather up and rinse off before you actually enter the bath. Kurumi and Natsume were assisting Shampoo in spite of the Chinese girl's protests that she needed no help. Nodoka moved toward Ukyou with a feral look in her eyes.

"You have beautiful hair, Ukyou." It didn't feel like a compliment. "Let me wash it for you." It was more of an order than a request and Ukyou sat glumly on one of the small stools.

Ranma's mother emptied a washbucket of near-scalding water over the girl.

"What did you do that for!" Ukyou yelled, suddenly on her feet, arms raised defensively. "That hurt!"

Nodoka didn't reply, but stared firmly at Ukyou's breasts. The girl turned bright red and crossed her arms over her chest before realizing Nodoka's eyes had tracked downwards. The woman's eyes widened and she gave a faint smile. Ukyou folded into a ball, her legs crossed in from of her, more embarrassed than she'd ever been in her life.

"Mrs. Saotome!"

The older woman smiled. "Tell me, Ukyou-chan, do you like girls?"

"Mrs. Saotome!"

"Oh, it doesn't matter." Nodoka grinned and wrapped the girl in an unwanted hug. "My Ranma is man enough that you want to be a woman for him and you didn't need surgery or Jusenkyou magic to do it."

"Mrs. Saotome? You better tell me what's going on right now go and you better have a good explanation for this. A really good explanation."

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Things were calmer on the men's side of the baths.

"So how did your date go, Konatsu?"

"Oh, it was fun, I suppose." The boy sounded tired, his words hollow. He sighed and continued. "We went skating. Roller skating, not ice skating." Konatsu lowered his head, remembering. "Ranma, have you heard of a boy named Mikado Sanzenin?"

"Yeah," the boy growled, remembering the repulsive feeling of Mikado's lips touching his.

"For one trained in the arts of the kunoichi, his kiss was easy to avoid." Konatsu smiled faintly. "His reaction when Azusa told him we were on a date and hugged me was amusing."

Ranma chuckled. "Serves the pervert right."

"Yes." The other boy smiled again, but it never reached his eyes. "It was funny, but it wasn't worth Shampoo getting mad at me."

"But she knows you only went on the date cause you had to, not because you wanted to."

"Isn't that how most of your dates with Shampoo went, Ranma?"

"Yeah. So what?"

"And didn't the other girls get upset, even when they knew why you went on the date?"

"You're right." Ranma pondered it for a while. "All the girls acted that way. I wonder why?"

"Ranma."

"Yeah?"

"You're an idiot."

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Desire burned in Happosai's eyes. He'd missed Nerima and all the lovely young women. Now he stared from a hidden vantage point at a sea of feminine flesh, trying to decide which girl to glomp first.

_Hmm, Shampoo is just as stacked as I remember. Natsume has a nice rack, too. Nodoka still has a fine figure for a woman her age, better than most women ten years younger. Kurumi's the smallest, but perky in more ways than one. Ukyou is slender, athletic, but she's still got a nice pair. How will I ever decide who to grab first?_

Something else decided for him. A will that was not Happosai's launched his body forward. He was halfway to his target when a ribbon wrapped itself around him.

"Gotcha, you nasty old man," Kurumi crowed, all the while feeding hot chi into the ribbon. It should have burned, but Happosai smiled until a form flowed from him, a fiery figure of molten gold, a being of light like a dancing flame. It hung in the air for a moment, giving a glimpse of breathtaking beauty that was somehow both male and female and yet neither. Mocking eyes flickered and a sly smile curved perfect lips as the Mamono arced triumphantly towards its target, engulfing her with its living flame.

Happosai's body hit the damp tiles with a wet smack, again the shriveled emaciated thing that had called on the Mamono for strength, but all eyes had turned to Ukyou. She screamed as the flames writhed around her, then collapsed to her knees. Ranma appeared, moving faster than anyone had seen, catching his fiancée before she fell forward on to the tile. For a moment the flames licked at him and he sensed a wrongness in them.

"Ucchan!"

And the flames vanished. His fiancée lay limply in his arms; but she felt so warm, too warm, like the worst of fevers. "Wake up, Ucchan, please wake up." He reached forward, grasping the Shimi-Seki pendant she wore, not caring if anyone though he was trying to grope her. His senses expanded, revealing hidden currents of magic.

There was something inside his fiancée, a brightness that almost blinded. Dimly, inside the brightness, he saw a silhouette struggling and knew it was Ukyou fighting against something. Ranma sensed a name. Yokkyuu. Desire. Another Mamono.

The vision faded, but he had no idea how to help her. "Please, Ucchan, you gotta wake up, you gotta fight this thing. Please, Ucchan, I...I..."

"You love her," Natsume stated. The boy nodded, grateful someone had said the words.

"Please come back, Ucchan." He didn't even notice he was crying.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"It's been two days, Tendo. I think it's safe to see how Akane is doing."

"I'm not sure, Saotome. Every time I knock on the door, she screams that she hates me, and Ryouga, and you, and Ranma, and then she starts smashing things."

"Nonsense, Tendo. She ran out of things to break early this morning."

"That's what worries me. The only thing left is us."

"The maybe we should go looking for Kasumi again," Genma said.

"An excellent idea," his friend replied, "though I still wonder why she left in the first place." Someone coughed behind him and Soun turned at the noise.

"Akane?" She was dressed in pajamas.

"Shut up, Daddy." There was no anger left, even she was tired of the anger. "I just came downstairs to get something to eat. I hate you. I hate that fuzzy fat freeloader. I hate everything. I wish I was dead." She shuffled past him into the kitchen.

Her father followed. "Please, don't give up, Akane. I'm sure it will all work out. I'm sure we can convince Ranma to see reason."

She hit him with the refrigerator.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"So how is Ucchan?" he whispered.

"About the same, Ranma." By which Tofu meant only slightly worse.

"You're the doctor." Something blazed in the boy's eyes. "It's been three days and you still can't find what's wrong with her. What kind of a doctor are you?"

"Ranma." Kasumi interrupted the boy's rage with a single word.

"Sorry," he mumbled. "Sorry, Doc, I know you're doing everything you can." None of them mentioned Nabiki. "I hate being helpless. I want something I can grab and smash."

But he hadn't seen Kuno or Ryouga or Mousse in weeks, Happosai was in the hospital on life support, and no new idiots had dropped into his life challenging him to a battle.

"I know a way you can do that, Ranma." The boy stared in confusion. Kasumi never solved things with violence.

She showed him the newspaper ad for building demolition.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

The next four days were profitable, but Ranma didn't care.

He glanced again at the ruined warehouse, ignoring the beautiful weather outside that hinted at an early spring. They'd paid him to demolish the condemned building and they hadn't asked how. He'd spent most of the day battering away at the walls and supports, trying to drive away the pain in his soul. His fists and feet were torn and bloody from his efforts, but physical pain couldn't erase the ache inside.

_I'm sorry, Ucchan, I'm so sorry. I promised...I promised I'd always take care of you. I even meant it. But I guess I'm about as good at keeping promises as Pops is._

He took a final look around, instinctively verifying that no one was inside **this** blast radius, then smiled grimly. It was time to finish this, time for the release the Perfect Shishi Hokoudan would bring.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"It's too soon," Gosunkugi whispered into the phone.

"We can't wait any longer," Miyo replied.

"He'll never try it," the skinny would-be sorcerer insisted. "It's insane. He's got almost no chance."

"That is why he might succeed," the psychic replied. "He has a talent; he grabs the threads of fate and twists."

"He's got no reason to trust me, but he has to trust me," the boy stated. "He's got no reason to believe you, but he has to believe you." Gosunkugi made a noise that might have been a laugh. "He has to depend on Azusa for his survival and she's an idiot!"

"Ranma dared anything to help a friend, faced any odds to save a fiancée," Miyo replied. "Ukyou is both. Tarou is stronger than Ranma, a huge magical blending of several beasts, but he beat Tarou. Cologne is more skillful, with decades of knowledge and experience on him, but he got her to give him the Phoenix Pill. Herb is more powerful than he is, yet Ranma beat the Musk Lord, the descendant of dragons. The Ghost Cat is the embodiment of one of his fears, yet he triumphed, not once, but twice. He destroyed two of the Mamonos, Aijou and Shinrou, and he did it without any magic of his own. He'll risk anything, dare any odds to save her and I don't need my psychic gifts to see that."

"But will he succeed?" the skinny boy asked.

"I wish I knew. This won't be like any fight he's had before."

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Dust was still raining down, and scattered bits of debris. Ranma knelt in the middle of the crater he'd created with the Perfect Shishi Hokoudan.

"So there you are, boy. You've run from your duty long enough."

Ranma glared at his father but said nothing. For a while, neither did Genma. He'd expected anything but silence from his son.

"Come on, boy, fate has decided it for you. Shampoo is gone. Ukyou won't last much longer. Just come back and marry Akane."

Ranma still said nothing.

"Honor," his father continued, "duty, don't those words mean anything to you?"

"Picollete Chardin," the boy whispered. "A single meal."

Genma looked puzzled.

"Kaori Daikoku." Ranma's voice was louder now. "Another meal."

"What?"

"Ami Kurimoto." He wasn't yelling, but there was a sharp intensity in the boy's voice. "A third meal."

"I don't under..."

"Shampoo. Thinking with your stomach again, Pops, and so was I. Tell me, where was the honor in that?"

"I..." Genma didn't know what to say.

"The dowry," his son spat. "You stole Ucchan's dowry. Don't talk to me about honor, Pops."

The old man shrugged. "Okay, so I made some mistakes," he replied. "But...but you have to marry Akane. Tendo and I made promises."

"Pops, you made promises to more people than I can remember. I haven't mentioned half of them. And you broke them all. I only made one promise. I promised Ucchan I'd always take care of her."

"I'm sorry, son." Ranma glanced sharply at his father, but the words seemed genuine, the tone sincere. "I'm sorry, but you have to accept...you know she's not going to make it."

"Maybe not, Pops. But even if Ucchan doesn't, I still ain't gonna marry Akane. Maybe if things had gone differently, but even when Akane and I work together, we don't work together." He took a deep breath and released it slowly. "Look at that mess with the other Tendo girls, the ones who thought Soun was their dad."

There was sweat on Genma's forehead and the corner of Ranma's lip curled in a faint smile.

"And all that, all the squabbling nearly cost her the dojo, and I know how much that means to her." A haunted look appeared in Ranma's eyes. "But there was worse, when the Ghost Cat trapped Shampoo in that creepy old temple. Akane meant well, but in the end she couldn't trust me, she couldn't let go of the quarrel, and Shampoo coulda spent the rest of her life trapped in her cursed form, married to that monster."

"And that's the way it always is between me and Akane. The quarreling doesn't end, even when something big is on the line. I can't...that would be hell for both me and her. That's no kind of future, and I'm sure she hates all the bickering worse than me. We started wrong, and it ain't really got better. Seems like all I do is make her sad or angry and I...I care about Akane too much to keep doing that to her; I ain't going back to the cycle of pain."

"I don't want to do this, son," Genma sighed, "I don't want to be an ogre." His father's words echoed the ones he'd used during the harsh but necessary training he'd needed to learn the Hiryu Shouten Ha. "I don't want to do this," he repeated, "but I can't have you making this mistake. If you don't marry Akane, I'll have to tell everyone about Ryouga sleeping in her bed. Think of what that will do to her reputation."

"Is that why you never ratted the Pig Boy out, so you'd have another lever to force me to do what you wanted? That's lower than trying them stupid Magic Leaves on us, lower than what her own dad tried to do to her with that dumb Love Pill." He shook his head faintly. "Pops, you're lucky I'm tired. Very lucky." Ranma bowed his head in thought. "You do that and Mr. Tendo's gonna kill you. Besides, it's not like most everybody didn't know already."

"She's pregnant."

Ranma swallowed, and there was moisture in the corner of his eyes. "Just...just when I thought you couldn't do anything worse. That's a new low, Pops. And there's no way I'm gonna believe that, no way that anyone's gonna believe a stupid story like that. Now go away before I do something I might regret later."

"Son, I don't want you make the same mistakes I did. You can't decide this based on your emotions, they never last."

"But I'm **not** gonna make the same mistakes as you, Pops. Sure, I'm gonna make some, but at least they'll be my mistakes, not yours all over again."

Genma sighed. "No, you are making the same mistake I did. I married your mother because I loved her, but in the end it didn't last. That's why I backed the Tendo arrangement. Even when the feelings fade, and they always do, you'll have a good home and a stable income."

"You mean you'll have a warm bed, a full belly, and a roof over your head."

"Why not? I'm not perfect, but I've spent more time trying to be a father, spent more time trying to help you than anyone else around here has spent helping their kids."

"What?"

"When did you ever see Tendo give any of his girls help, advice, or training? And if he was really serious about the school, why didn't he teach martial arts to all of his children? Still, he's one of the better fathers around here. Shampoo's was a nonentity, someone so quiet we never even learned his name. We barely noticed him while he was here, we barely noticed him when he was gone, and he never did a single thing to help Shampoo. All Principal Kuno ever did was torment his kids. Kuonji didn't even care enough about his girl to back her on her quest."

"Nice words, Pops, but they're not gonna cut it, not when I know about Kurumi and Natsume. And why are they even around if you really loved Mom?"

"You knew?" Genma's shoulders slumped. "Yes, I married their mother, but then I met your mother, too. I had a good thing going and I threw it all away to marry Nodoka. When Yumiko found out, she threw me out and swore I'd never see my girls again. I only found them by sheer luck, while you and I were on the training trip."

"Then how come I never saw them?"

"Because you were too busy doing things with..."

"...with Ucchan. It was the time I got to spend with her," the boy finished.

Genma nodded. "I hadn't even heard that Yumiko was dead. But the girls were making it on their own, too proud to go to their mother's family for help, determined to be true martial artists like their father."

"And you left them to fend for themselves."

"They were already fending for themselves, and doing a fine job of it. I would have liked to give them more than encouragement, but I was barely getting by with just you, I couldn't afford two more mouths to feed."

"That's the same stupid excuse you used with Ucchan," the boy snapped.

"It's the truth. I hadn't developed the Umisenken and Yamasenken techniques yet."

"Pops, they were already surviving on their own. What makes you think we couldn't have all made it - you, me, them, and Ucchan?" He exhaled slowly. "But you didn't think again, did you, and more people got hurt because of that."

Genma blinked owlishly at his son.

"I know you don't mean it, Pops, that you don't even realize what you and all your broken promises really did to them, or their mom, or Ucchan, or Mom, or Akane. And it took a stupid freaking Mamono to make me realize I was doing the exact same stupid things as you did."

"You have been there for me with advice," the boy continued. "Maybe I ain't said so, but I appreciate you caring enough to do that. But there ain't no way I can follow your advice this time."

"You're making a mistake, son."

"Maybe so, but it's gonna be my mistake and it's gonna be my promise that I keep." Ranma stood, brushing the dust off of his slacks; turned slowly; and walked away. He never looked back.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo


	16. Yokyuu Part 4

Mamono Hunter Ukyou

Yokkyuu: Flame of Desire

Part 4

By Edward A. Simons

Based on characters and situations created by Takahashi Rumiko. Ranma 1/2 and characters copyright Shogakukan, Kitty Animation Circle, and Takahashi Rumiko. Devil Hunter Yohko and characters copyright NCS, Toho Company, LTD., and Mad House. This story revised 2005 by Edward Simons.

oooooooooooooooooo

You are not wrong, who deem

That my days have been a dream;

All that we see or seem

Is but a dream within a dream.

Edgar Allen Poe, "A Dream Within A Dream"

oooooooooooooooooo

"She's gone," the nurse said. The woman had turned pale and seemed unable to say more.

"Yes," Tofu replied, attempting to be reassuring, but there was a sadness in his expression. "I understand that the plan is unorthodox at best, and releasing Ukyou from the hospital wouldn't normally be recommended." He took a deep breath. "But her fiancé and I both believe this is probably the only chance she has. Conventional treatments just weren't helping."

The nurse found her voice. "That's not what I mean, Doctor. That Chinese girl, Lin-Lin, she's gone."

Tofu bowed his head sadly. "I was afraid that was coming. I suppose it was only a matter of time." His shoulders slumped. "I...I guess I'll have to contact her sister, so the proper arrangements can be made. I wonder what Amazon funerals are like?" he said hollowly.

"No, that isn't what I meant, either," the nurse replied in exasperation. I mean Lin-Lin is gone. Missing. No longer in the hospital."

"Did you sear..."

"Of course we searched the entire hospital!" the woman snapped. "She isn't here anywhere. Do you know how much trouble we were in the last time we lost one of these Chinese girls? And this one can't have gotten up and walked off, either."

"At least I hope not," Tofu whispered, recalling forms shrouded in darkness, moving under a power that wasn't theirs.

"What did you say?"

"You're right," he answered in a louder voice, "Lin-Lin couldn't have left on her own. Search again, and I'll make some phone calls."

The nurse sighed and left.

oooooooooooooooooo

Two bodies lay side by side in the middle of a circle chalked on the floor. Both wore dark pants and Chinese style shirts; one red, one blue; though it was easy to tell which was female. An eight-lobed outline that looked vaguely like a huge flower surrounded both them and the circle. Mystic symbols were marked in the center of the circle and in the middle of each flower lobe. A special braided rope placed on wooden poles surrounded everything and paper streamers to ward against evil hung from the rope.

"Did I get it right?" the girl asked.

The boy examined the diagram in the book carefully, finally nodding. "Yes, Azusa, you did," Gosunkugi confirmed. He didn't mention the six previous attempts at drawing.

He didn't mention Tofu's warning phone call, either. If the Doctor's fears were true, if Shinrou was still free in this world, then they were all in danger. Azusa's power probably wasn't enough, so they had to pray this ritual succeeded.

Four people sat around the circle, crammed into the tiny amount of space left between it and the walls of the restaurant. Kurumi to the east and Natsume to the west - joined to Ranma by ties of blood. Shampoo to the north and Konatsu to the south - connected to the boy by shared battle and friendship and love. All would form the link needed to draw Ranma and his fiancée back.

Assuming nothing else failed. After getting a call from the psychic, Miyo, Gosunkugi had spent a week drilling the words of power into Azusa's skull, for only she as the Assistant Mamono Hunter could perform this magic. Gosunkugi could have quoted the words in his sleep, but he had no magic to empower them. Success, even survival for both Ranma and Ukyou would depend on the empty-headed skater's memory.

"Did Miyo guarantee this would work?" Ranma called from the center of the circle, where he lay next to Ukyou.

Gosunkugi answered. "She said something about too many lines of fate, too many things for her to see all the futures, let alone tell which is most likely."

"In other words, no," Ranma replied dryly, though the faint smile soon left his face.

"There are too many variables for her to predict anything," Gosunkugi stated.

Ranma nodded, preferring to believe the future depended on his efforts, not the arbitrary hand of fate.

"Is everyone ready?" Gosunkugi asked.

"Not yet." It was Natsume, the older of Ranma's sisters. "Ranma, have you told your mother about my sister and myself? Or about this attempt to save your fiancée?"

"Sorry," her brother replied, "after what happened to Ucchan, I forgot to tell her about you two. And it's better if Mom doesn't know what we're trying to do here, anyway."

"That probably is for best," Natsume replied. "Your mother didn't seem to like Ukyou very much, and I doubt she would accept my sister and myself, either."

Ranma glanced at the girl he lay next to, then stared at the ceiling. "Listen, Natsume, Kurumi, if this doesn't work..."

"I trust you, big brother," Kurumi interrupted. No one else said anything for a while.

"Thanks," Ranma sighed, "but I ain't got any idea what I'm doing here, and I don't think martial arts is gonna help at all." He sat up and looked his older sister in the eyes, though the fingers of his right hand remained interlaced with Ukyou's. "Anyways, Sis, if this doesn't work, I want you guys to have the restaurant and I'm sure Ucchan would want you to have it, too." He stared down at his fiancée, then glanced back at Natsume. "It's past time you two had a place to stay."

"Thank you," Natsume replied, tears in her eyes. "And I promise I'll take care of the others." She gestured towards Konatsu and Shampoo. "I promise that they will still have a place to live."

The indicated pair looked at each other. Shampoo opened her mouth, then closed it. Konatsu nodded. Neither of them had anywhere else to go, either.

"But you're coming back, aren't you, big brother?" Kurumi's voice was oddly quiet.

"I, um, we need to get started," Gosunkugi interrupted.

Ranma lay back, trying and failing to relax. He looked to his right again, seeing Ukyou's still form. He barely noticed Azusa chanting words he didn't understand. The boy reached out, placing the back of his hand against Ukyou's cheek, feeling the unnatural warmth.

His lips moved in the faintest of whispers. "Kami-sama, please. I never asked for nothing before. I don't know what's gonna happen now."

He took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

"Just let us be together."

He leaned forward and kissed her.

Yokkyuu, the Mamono of desire smiled a mocking smile. It planned to grant Ranma's wish, though not in the way the boy intended.

oooooooooooooooooo

Another body lay alone in the center of another mystic diagram on the floor of another restaurant. Mousse's drawing was much less elaborate, a simple octagon with symbols from the I Ching in each of the eight directions, enclosed in an outer octagon.

The boy began to name the directions. "To the south, Li, the Sun. To the southwest, K'un, the Earth. To the west, Tui, the Lake. To the northwest Ch'ien the Heavens."

Mousse paused, lighting some incense as Ran-Ran continued the chant.

"To the north, K'an, the Sea. To the northeast, Ken, the Mountain. To the east, Chen, the Thunder. To the southeast, Sun, the Forest."

The girl fell silent. For the rest of the ritual, Mousse would be making the mystic gestures, lighting the incense, pouring the potions, and chanting the words of power. All Ran-Ran could do was watch and pray that the ceremony worked, that her sister would be returned to her.

There was no chance of that. Succeed or fail, Mousse expected to die, but the soul he sought to recall belonged to a different Chinese Amazon. He shivered, suddenly cold, suddenly realizing how alone he was. Kodachi had asked if she could attend, but he couldn't bear to invite her. She wouldn't understand, would try to stop him if she knew his true intentions.

And he couldn't afford to be weak.

Mousse closed his eyes, trying to focus on the ritual, but instead he saw the Japanese girl's eyes, the eyes of the only woman to look at him with respect. Ranma and Ryouga had respected his skills when they'd fought together against Tarou's monstrous cursed form or the warriors of the Musk Dynasty. But no *woman* had ever respected his martial arts abilities, no woman had shown disappointment instead of contempt when his skills were weak.

Except her.

Mousse shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts and regain the focus he needed for the ritual. The boy took a deep breath and glanced at the clock. He sighed and removed his glasses.

I won't be needing them again and I've rehearsed this so many times I have the ritual memorized.

oooooooooooooooooo

Ranma blinked and sat up. He hadn't even felt the transition to here, wherever and whatever here was.

"Not what I expected."

It was warm, very warm, and a bit humid. A thousand scents filled his nostrils, and everywhere he looked was a riot of greenery. More plants than he'd ever seen, no two the same, filled his vision. A closer look showed flowers and fruit as well, every kind he knew of and many others besides. And over it all hung a mist, like the steam above a hot springs.

"Great, I'm in a stupid jungle. It's gonna take forever to find Ucchan."

He stood and began to turn when she tackled him, burying him in kisses. Only then did he realize they were both naked.

oooooooooooooooooo

He didn't remember finding the spring, but now they sat together in it. He looked up seeing a whiteness suffused with light past the tops of the foliage. "Ucchan, how long were you here before I showed up?"

"It felt like forever." She shivered, recalling the old loneliness.

"How many days since I got here?" he asked.

She frowned.

"You don't know either," he said.

She nodded. "We can't see the sun." She frowned again. "But it never gets dark, unless it does when we're asleep."

"I think we're asleep now, Ucchan."

"What?"

"Think about it," he said. "It's too perfect. Just the two of us, no pressures, no problems, no one ever attacks or..." he blushed, "...or interrupts. When we're hungry there's always fruit. If we're thirsty there's always a pool of clean, cool fresh water."

"But it's never cold enough to trigger your curse, Ranchan."

He shook his head. "So it ain't real, but it's trying to be real. It seems kinda like that Eden place I heard about. Maybe that's why it's incomplete, 'cause I don't know much about some gaijin version of paradise."

"Paradise?" she snorted. "Maybe that's what the Mamono was trying for, but this place was hell for me."

"Hell?" He scratched his head. "But there's all the food you could want, no hassles, no worries..."

"No you," she said looking straight in his eyes. "I've thought about the future, hoped and dreamed for a future with you. Anything else is a bonus, even a roof over our heads. Anything's better than being alone, than living a life without you."

"Um." He paused, clearly at a loss for something to say. "Um, thanks, Ucchan." He fell silent again for a bit. "So I guess we got everything we need here, everything except..."

"I'm not sure, seems like there was something. I mean, this relaxing is nice, and I, um, I sure want you in my life, too, but there's something missing here."

Ukyou considered. "Maybe...is it because there's no challenge?"

"Sort of. That's some of it. And I sure don't wanna end up getting soft."

"I don't have any complaints about that," she said with an impish smile.

"Huh?"

She sighed. "Ranchan, you can be so dense sometimes. But you're right that there's something missing." She stretched languidly, letting him enjoy the view, then stared at her left hand."

"You thinking about rings?" he asked. "Pops said girls..."

"Rings?" She frowned. "Weren't you just saying something about the place trying to be real?"

He frowned as well. "Yeah, but it's hard to remember, like it happened weeks ago." His eyes widened. "Yeah, this place ain't real, but something's trying to make it real.

"A Mamono," she said firmly. "Wait, I don't have my Yoma ring or my pendant. How could I miss that? Why didn't I notice that before?"

"The monster's messing with our minds," he replied, "making our thoughts fuzzy, making us forget."

She pulled away suddenly, the water sloshing at her movement. "If a Mamono's doing this, trying to give us our dreams, then how..." Her voice trailed away, and she stared at the surface of the pool. "If that's what's going on," she continued softly, "then how do I know you're you, Ranchan? How do I know you're any more real than the image I see there?" She struck the water, fracturing their reflection as waves danced across the pool. "If the rest of this is fake, then how..."

"I promised I'd always take care of you," he said firmly. "This is just...now that I'm remembering...our spirits are here. Our bodies are back in the real world, and if I don't get you out, then..."

"Ranchan?"

"We're both real, Ucchan, cause we both remember this place isn't real, cause the dream is nice, but we ain't gonna settle for a dream. I promised I'd always take care of you, and I promise I...no, I promise we will find a way outta here."

She grabbed him and hung on. He felt her trembling with emotion and wrapped his arms around her. "So what do we do?" she asked. He saw the trust in her expression and it scared him. She was depending on him, but he had no idea what to do.

"Um, close your eyes." He shut his as well.

"So we don't get distracted by the illusion?" she asked.

"Um, yeah, that too, I guess. Keep hanging on tight and keep your eyes closed. Let's start walking and focus on wanting to be somewhere else."

oooooooooooooooooo

"I'm bored. How long is this going to take?"

Gosunkugi sighed. "You've asked at least a dozen times, Azusa, but I still don't know. Ranma's only been unconscious for half an hour."

"I hate waiting," the girl insisted.

"Azusa, both their lives depend on us being awake when we need to pull their spirits back."

"That could be hours," Natsume stated.

"Yes," Gosunkugi nodded.

"Why don't we take turns napping?" Natsume asked. "Otherwise, we may all be asleep by the time they need us."

"That makes sense," the skinny boy replied, "but if they're ready to escape and all four of you aren't focused or Azusa isn't prepared to finish the spell, then they'll lose the connection back to the real world. Then we'll fail and they'll die."

oooooooooooooooooo

There was a silence, a silence so full he could feel it. He didn't open his eyes, but he felt the ground beneath his bare feet and Ukyou clinging to his arm. He concentrated, trying to feel the way out.

Then she was smashed against him with superhuman force and they both slammed to the rough, unyielding ground. He rolled to his feet, pulling her with him. She hung limply in his arms, but he felt her moving. "I've got you, Ucchan." He knew he said the words, but he couldn't hear them,

This time he was struck, falling on top of her. Pain blazed across his side, and he thought of being hit by Aijou, remembered silent steel fists that struck far harder than Ryouga ever had, harder than even Tarou's monstrous cursed form.

Ranma moved to his feet more slowly this time and lifted his fiancée in his arms. He still heard nothing, nothing at all, not even his own ragged breathing. He wanted to open his eyes, but somehow he knew if he did, they'd be trapped again. But he wasn't going to stand still and get hammered to death, either. He began to run, still carrying Ukyou, not caring where he was going.

Another fist slammed him to the ground.

He rose again, more slowly, and ran. This time he dodged, luck or instinct prompting him to move away from the unseen threat.

It wasn't enough. Something attacked out of the darkness, striking again with that inhuman strength. He felt something give in his side as he parted company with the ground and spun through the air. He landed poorly, unable to see the ground, felt an ankle snap like a stick of dry bamboo, and fell heavily, twisting so she landed atop him.

He coughed, even though he couldn't hear the sound, and tasted blood in his mouth. He felt her lips brush his, felt her pull him to his feet and they hobbled forward into the darkness.

oooooooooooooooooo

Yokkyuu was surprised at how ungrateful the humans were. They were simple creatures, bound by the desire to flee pain and embrace pleasure. It had even chosen to give them the gentler way to destruction, giving them a taste of heaven, making them forget their cares. Eventually, their bodies would fade, leaving only their spirits trapped together in a shroud of warmth and light and lies.

Besides, it was the safest way. They'd resist simple, direct destruction, and that resistance would cost it power. If the Hunter remembered, it could even destroy Yokkyuu. Better the slower, sure fade to forgetfulness. Giving the Mamono Hunter everything she desired would be a small price for ruling her world. Yokkyuu would succeed where the other Mamonos had failed, would enjoy amusing itself with an endless succession of fleshy toys, seeking new ones as the old were consumed from within.

But the Hunter and her Guardian had tried to flee the false pleasures.

So it gave them a bit of hell. The girl was semiconscious now; the boy was fading. Yokkyuu knew they would stop soon, nothing human could stand pain forever. It was a primal need, a basic desire, but the Mamono intended to turn that instinct for survival into another method of destroying them, a tool to keep them from forcing their way out of the creature's trap. And if one bright snare had failed it would create another, it would spin as many worlds as it needed, weaving reality and imagination together, delaying them with dreams until they lacked the strength to escape.

oooooooooooooooooo

Ranma Ozaki's arms rested on the metal rim of the tank turret, her head and shoulders extending into the open air. She raised her arm to her face, realizing she wore a transparent facemask.

The bacterial cloud. The density is high today. With Earth's ruined ecology, even the air was dangerous at times. Unprotected lungs would inhale the invisible menace, would slowly fill and suffocate.

Ranma reached back, noticing her pigtail was gone, then glanced down at her body, seeing it clad in some sort of uniform.

What? Tank Police? It seemed wrong, and yet right. Ranma lived for the thrill of combat and she wanted to protect those weaker than herself. But a tank is so impersonal.

She ran a hand down her side, wondering why it didn't hurt, then wondering why she'd ever wondered that.

The roar of engines interrupted her thoughts and she rotated the minitank's turret towards the sound. At first there she saw nothing, but the sound was approaching rapidly.

"What is it?" the tank's driver, U Kyou Ad Solt called from within the vehicle. "More of Buaku's gang?"

"Probably," Ranma called back, her voice muffled by the breath mask. She peered into the haze. Even at its worst, the bacterial cloud wasn't this deep, now it hung as a mist over the city, shrouding everything in a deadly fog.

Screeching tires joined the sound of engines as a pair of motorcycles slid round the corner, leaving swirls of fog behind them. Bullets rang off the side of the turret and Ranma ducked inside its shelter.

"Those idiots scratched Bonaparte!" she snarled. "Reverse the tank, we're gonna get some payback." She popped her head out, bracing herself as the tank slewed around, treads shredding the pavement, then accelerated.

The motorcycles accelerated, lunging down the gray, empty streets; but even if they managed to outrun the minitank, they couldn't outrun its weaponry. Ranma fired a flare shell, just as she saw a rocket spiraling in from the fog ahead. The two collided, detonating uncomfortably close as U Kyou stood on the brakes, bring the tank to a sliding stop.

The light faded, but the fog had burned away, revealing their android opponents, the fair-haired Unipuma and her purple-tressed sister Shanpuma. Ranma ignored their threats and insults, and froze, remembering just what they were, feline female androids.

Ranma remembered claws and screams, blood and pleading, pain and fear; and she felt the feral fury calling. "Leave while you still can," she spat and the android catgirls fled into the fog.

"Ranchan?" U Kyou had tried to squeeze through the turret hatch, though there wasn't really room and they were squashed together in an embarrassing manner. The closeness felt both wrong and right. Ranma gazed into her partner's eyes.

Wait a minute. Since when is Ucchan a guy?

Ranma blinked and took a deep breath. "This is another trap."

"I know. When I saw them through the viewslit, then looked up and saw the way you froze, heard the way you growled those words. I knew it was you remembering the cats, I realized this was just a dream."

"No, more than a dream, Ucchan. A trap. Normally, it takes a lot more than that to trigger the Cat Fist, but I could feel myself slipping into it. That's why it's gotta be a trap. When I'm...like that, I could shred this tank, I could shred anything...or anyone."

"It's alright, Ranchan."

"No, it ain't. I can't control it. I could hurt..."

"You'd never hurt me," Ukyou insisted.

Ranma gave a short sharp laugh. "Aijou sure showed me different. So did Ikari. But Kami-sama willing, I'm gonna try not to hurt you again."

They closed their eyes.

oooooooooooooooooo

She felt the water rushing in her ears, felt the weight, the pressure around her. Her fingers were interlaced with his and she pulled him close, grateful they were both in their natural forms again, even if they were naked. She smiled, but did not open her eyes, and together they began swimming towards the surface.

There was none. They continued until lungs were empty, till limbs could barely move and then she pressed her lips to his.

oooooooooooooooooo

Rachel Kuonji woke in the strange, cluttered room that was her only refuge. The piano was the oddest, the thing she would never have expected of Ranma Decker, the man who'd been sent to kill her, but refused. The man she thought she loved.

If anything is real here. My thoughts, my dreams, my emotions, are they mine or do they belong to Tyrell's niece?

And she sat up, knowing Ranma would be at the door. She opened it before he could knock and saw his rain soaked clothes, the hint of blood in the corner of his mouth, the mangled hand and the gun he clutched in it.

And she saw the origami unicorn on the floor, knew she would step on it as they moved to the elevator, towards whatever fate they might share.

"Ranchan, this isn't real."

He hesitated, then stared at the gun he carried. "Yeah, this ain't my style. Besides I coulda beaten that Roy guy."

"Don't be an idiot," she replied, though she was smiling. "This world isn't like home, and this thing is making us forget what we could do there so we can't do it here."

He nodded and took her hand.

oooooooooooooooooo

"Ucchan." The wind tried to tear his words away as the cold forced its way into his lungs.

"I'm here. It's so cold." She pressed her body against his. Driving snow struck them, melting from their body heat and then refreezing, coating their bare skin in a layer of ice that popped and cracked with every movement. The storm bit at them, trying to force them backwards.

"Just hang on," he pled. "We got to start walking. We'll find some clothes and some shelter."

"How m...m...much farther," she asked.

"I...I dunno." He didn't even know if they were going the right direction, since he didn't dare open his eyes. The wind was getting stronger, gusts nearly knocking them off their feet.

And that gave him his answer. He turned into the heart of the storm and led her towards where the wind was fiercest. They strode forward into the blizzard, driving towards freedom until their legs failed them.

oooooooooooooooooo

Waiting at the dock had been the hardest part, but now they were moving into the darkening storm, crossing Tokyo Bay towards the Ark, control center of the Babylon Project.

"Are we doing the right thing?" Ranma Izumi whispered. The wind and the driving rain swallowed the short redhead's words. She certainly didn't expect an answer.

"This isn't like you, Ranma." Ukyou Shinohara stood nearby, looking over the rail at the surging water. "Brooding, I mean." He looked over at his forward, pilot of one of the two Ingram patrol labors used by the Police's Special Vehicle Division, Section 2.

"I'm used to winning," Ranma replied, "but we can't fix the damage that madman caused."

"But we can keep it from spreading," Ukyou said. "We can still save lives. That's something."

A brief smile lit Ranma's face, a reminder of her normal cheerful expression. She looked over at Ukyou, his form hidden by the billowing rain slicker. He's the clever one and he's always there for me. I wish we could get married, but then they'd transfer one of us to another section. I just hate the sneaking around. If only...

"Wait, didn't I used to have a pigtail?" Ranma asked.

"What?"

"It's like a dream that I can't quite remember." She looked up at Ukyou, and saw something in his eyes. She stood on tiptoe, reaching to kiss him. Her lips brushed his and then she felt a sudden wave of dizziness.

"What was that?" they exclaimed in unison.

"I don't know, Ranchan." Ukyou hesitated. "Why did I call you Ranchan? What's going..."

"It's getting better, Ucchan. The Mamono. In this world we can make a difference; we can help people. And there are people here so much like friends of ours, Ryouga Ohta with his temper and blind charging into battle, Tofu Shinsei who worries about his wife Kasumi. We could live in a world like this. But this isn't real. We have to fight it."

"If this isn't real, Ranchan, then how come I can remember what it was like to..." He turned deep red. "So...so...that's what it feels like for the guy. The Mamono must be feeding me your memories."

Ranma turned even redder. "Then these are your memories of what it's like for a girl to do it. Oh kami, Ucchan, I'm sorry. Guess I'm still too busy doing what I want to, instead of..."

Ukyou was silent, almost paralyzed with embarrassment.

"Let's get out of here, Ucchan."

A feeble nod was the only reply.

oooooooooooooooooo

It was like acid in his blood, burning in his veins. He heard Ukyou gasp and fall to her knees, but she didn't let go of his hand. She tried to speak, but it came out as a whimper of pain.

"Come on, Ucchan." He pulled her to her feet and she wrapped her arms around him.

"Is...is this what...it felt like...when Ikari..."

"Yeah, it's a lot like..."

"Well, I'm not letting go this time, either, Ranchan." He heard strength in her voice, behind the pain. They staggered forward, while Yokkyuu cursed their efforts.

oooooooooooooooooo

Ten-year-old Ukyou Kinamoto stared at the winged pendant she wore, the sign that she was the Card Captor. Dimly, she realized her older brother Hayato and her Chinese classmate Li Shaoran Ma were glaring at each other again, though she didn't understand why. Her best friend, Konatsu, with her long dark hair, stood nearby ignoring the potential squabble as she filmed Ukyou.

Ukyou grasped the pendant and smiled.

"Ranchan, the Mamono isn't getting smarter. It's just trying things at random, pulling them from our memories and it just made a big mistake."

"Magic works here," she beamed. She gestured and the Yoma ring appeared on her left hand. Crimson energy glowed and the winged pendant shifted to the stylized ying-yang of the Shimi-Seki pendant, Hayato and Konatsu disappeared, and Ukyou and Ranma's bodies shifted to their proper age of seventeen.

Then Yokkyuu shattered its own illusion, dropping them into the darkness.

oooooooooooooooooo

"Ranchan? Where are you?"

"I'm here." Though he could see nothing, he reached out his fingers, stretching towards her voice. His hand encountered something soft and round. She gasped and took his hand in both of hers.

"This is the first time we weren't touching when we dropped outta one of them weird dreams," he said. "I didn't want to lose you."

"Thanks. He felt her lips touch his, then after a bit pull away. "So how come we can't see anything even though we didn't close our eyes?" she asked. "And just where are we?"

"Shinrou," he replied.

"What?"

"This Mamono's trying to repeat the pain all those other one caused. First, the way Aijou hammered on us. Then the way Haradachi tried to drown you. Then the way we nearly froze afterwards. Then Ikari's poison burning inside me. This is Shinrou, trying to trap me in the darkness with my fears. This Mamono thinks it's being smart, dropping us into a trap where there's no physical way out."

Then he laughed. "Listen, you stupid Mamono! This didn't work when it was real, because I knew Ucchan was there waiting for me. This dumb illusion of yours sure ain't gonna stop us now!"

"Moko Takabisha," he called and the light of his chi attack annihilated the darkness.

oooooooooooooooooo

Yokkyuu's normal mocking expression had disappeared. It had made two mistakes in a row and the Mamono Hunter and her Guardian had nearly freed themselves. It sifted through their memories, looking for another world of fiction, one with no magic whatsoever.

Perfect. Nothing fancy. I'll just kill her. If that level of pain wasn't enough to stop them, it would have to try something worse.

All Ukyou Schibeicker had to pilot was an obsolete Taurus and her mech was being pursued across the unforgiving void of space by a pair of state-of-the-art Mobile Suits programmed with the abilities of two of the greatest pilots of that world, Tsubasa Barton and Tatewaki Yui. She'd be lucky to survive long enough to scream "It's a Gundam!"

But she did, maneuvering frantically in what should have been a metal deathtrap. A lifespan that should have been moments stretched to minutes, as the Mamono cursed.

And then it smiled its strange mocking smile again. Even she couldn't dodge everything and even the glancing hits were reducing her mech into battered scrap leaking precious atmosphere. Ukyou tasted blood on her lip, knew something was broken inside. She closed her eyes, whispered her lover's name, waited for it to end.

There was an explosion and a burning ball of flame that faded into darkness.

Ukyou opened her eyes and smiled, seeing Ranma Maxwell's Gundam, knowing the machine that signaled death to most symbolized a chance at life for her. She glanced at the viewscreen. One of her tormentors was gone, the machine that held the electronic copy of Tsubasa Barton. The imitation of Tatewaki Yui followed moments later.

"Ranchan, you didn't..." Her vision was graying, and she felt so very, very tired. "... you didn't leave me...this time..." She heard him call her name over the communicator, heard the anguish in his voice. "I'm sorry...please...remember...I always loved you."

Then everything faded to darkness.

oooooooooooooooooo

"Azusa, Azusa, wake up," Gosunkugi insisted.

"Wha...?"

"You drifted off again." He looked at the others, seeing Shampoo's determination, Natsume's fear, Konatsu's concern, and Kurumi's cheerful optimism. Gosunkugi stifled a yawn and realized all four appeared to be near exhaustion as well. Being soul anchors was a very draining experience.

"Azusa, can you sense Ranma's spirit?"

The girl concentrated a moment. "He's almost free and he has Ukyou." She looked at the others, focusing on the cute ninja. "Pierre, if I defeat this Mamono will you go on another date with me?"

Konatsu blushed, Shampoo growled, and they nearly lost their focus.

oooooooooooooooooo

Mousse bowed his head and sighed. "It's time," he whispered, but there was no reply. He didn't expect one. It was nearly midnight, but Ran-Ran had fallen asleep shortly after she lit the incense. That was no accident. The Chinese boy had laced the scent with a sleep-inducing drug, while he was protected by an antidote.

He stared at nothing for a moment, trying to hide the turmoil within. He took a deep breath and began reciting the final words of the spell that would trade his life for Shampoo's. He produced a sealed flask from beneath his robes and spun it once, watching the strange azure liquid inside move like a living thing, glittering strangely in the candlelight.

"The substitution is freely offered."

He reached forward, preparing to pour the elixir over Lin-Lin's body. A gymnastics ribbon snagged his wrist and spun him around.

"What do you think you are doing?" Kodachi's Mandarin was almost flawless.

oooooooooooooooooo

She wrinkled her nose. "Ranchan, I sure don't want to open my eyes here. This smells like..."

"It's the storm drain," he stated. "Shinrou again. And my eyes are open, not that I'm seeing much of anything. I dunno why, but I don't think we have to close 'em anymore."

"You're right," she said. "I can feel it. We're so close we don't have to do that to focus on the way out."

They stood in a replica of the storm drain, but there were no exits. They heard a deep groaning noise and the roof fell towards them, raining chunks of concrete. She gestured and an emerald bubble of energy surrounded them both.

"Thanks." Then Ranma laughed again. "Yokkyuu, is that the best you can do, you stupid monster?"

oooooooooooooooooo

"How? How did you get here?"

Kodachi smiled and gestured towards the hole Ryouga had smashed in the wall. "You should have fixed that with more than a tarp if you didn't want visitors, Mousse. Really, just how long has it been." Her tone was mocking. "Now as I said, what do you think you're doing?"

"I..."

"And don't lie," she continued. "I recognize that expression. You intend to die."

The Chinese boy was silent for a moment. "You don't understand. Fate brought Ran-Ran to me, and who am I to fight fate? I owe it to Shampoo for not being there when she was crippled. I wasn't there any of the times she needed me. This is my chance for redemption."

"You mean destruction, Mousse," she said softy. "It sounds so brave and noble. It even sounds romantic." Her voice grew louder, her tone firmer. "But it's pointless. Don't waste your life for a girl who won't be grateful even if this nonsense works and you actually save her."

"I don't expect Shampoo to be grateful," he replied quietly. "I certainly won't win her love." He gave a bitter chuckle. "All I ever was to her was a pathetic, annoying pest. I may have lived as a fool, but let me die as a hero." He looked at the ribbon encircling his wrist, then stared into Kodachi's eyes. "It's my life, Kodachi. Don't I have a right to choose how it ends?"

The ribbon disappeared, but she still looked straight at him. "No, Mousse, not if that death hurts anybody else. If Ranma and Ukyou, who probably hate me, could save me from myself, then I can save you from yourself."

The ribbon lashed out again and the flask with Sapphire Essence Resurrection Elixir went spinning through the air.

oooooooooooooooooo

Ranma Moteuchi stood at the bottom of a stairway of crumbling glass. Ukyou Amano, the Video Girl, was imprisoned at the top and he knew her very existence depended on his reaching her. Around was a formless void, as if nothing else existed here.

He began to run, his feet blurring with the speed he normally used in the Kachu Tenshin Amiguriken. The last time he'd tried it while training for a rematch against the girls he hadn't known were *his* sisters, he was able to run a few steps across the surface of the canal.

Glass was harder than water. It cracked, shattered, and plunged in the darkness behind him, but he was in no danger as long as he kept moving. In moments he was at Ukyou's side. He tore her free of her imprisonment and offered his shirt to cover her nakedness, but she was too busy kissing him to care about that.

oooooooooooooooooo

The flask plunged downwards and Mousse caught it inches before it would have shattered against the floor of the restaurant. He made a sudden gesture and it disappeared. A second motion and he wore his glasses again. A third gesture brought a bladed polearm into his hands and he turned towards Kodachi.

This time he wasn't holding back.

He threw the weapon, but Kodachi used her gymnastics ribbon to snatch up a table and block. "Fei Ying Chuan." Long narrow blades appeared between the Chinese boy's fingers. "Strike of the Soaring Eagle." They whistled forward. Four struck the table, two the wall, one severed the gymnastics ribbon, and the last parted the right shoulder strap of Kodachi's leotard.

The girl hardly noticed, dropping the remains of the ribbon and launching a pair of gymnastics clubs at the boy. He twisted to the side, avoiding both, but they bounced off the wall behind him and one struck him in the shoulder.

"Do you give up?" the girl smiled.

He shook his head and the gymnast produced another pair of clubs and charged. Another weapon appeared in Mousse's hands. It looked a lot like a nunchaku, but with three lengths of wood connected by chains and was accurately if unimaginatively called a three-section staff.

Wood clattered against wood, as Kodachi drove the boy backwards towards a cluster of tables and chairs stacked near the wall. Before he could collide with the furniture, the Chinese boy rolled to the side and drew one leg up into a Crane Stance, balancing easily. The clubs blurred in the girl's hands, but his weapon and stance both favored the defense, and eventually she made a mistake. Half-a-dozen gymnastics clubs were knocked from her hands and flew behind her, bouncing off the far wall to clatter uselessly to the floor.

Momentarily disarmed, Kodachi backflipped across the room and a ball appeared in her hands. Before she could throw her weapon a pair of needle-thin feathered darts struck it, releasing the gas inside. The girl coughed and stepped backwards, but she was smiling.

"I've built up an immunity to the gas, Mousse."

"I'm not surprised," he replied.

Kodachi's smile evaporated and she glanced at the third dart stuck in her right shoulder. "I didn't feel it." It was unpleasantly like her introduction to Ikari. "You coated the tip with something that does that."

He nodded.

"And there's something else. I'll be sleeping for a while, won't I, Mousse?"

"And you won't be able to move."

He caught her as she collapsed. "I won," he whispered, "I beat a woman in combat for the first time." There was no triumph in his tone, no joy, only a strange sour feeling in his stomach and a burning ache in his chest.

oooooooooooooooooo

"Ranchan?" She stood naked and unarmed in the middle of a gray, featureless plain. The sky above was a lighter gray, but there were no clouds and only a dim suffusion of light instead of a sun.

"I'm here," her fiancée called from behind and to her left.

She turned, smiling, to face him. "Looks like the Mamono ran out of power creating things. And we're almost out, I can feel it."

He cursed and she saw them as well. Half a hundred spinning blades had just materialized, hovering in the air. They looked like elongated versions of the gaijin letter S, nearly the length of an arm, made of a strange gray metal that blended into the colorless sky. Every edge appeared sharp, with nothing even resembling a handle.

"I guess this Mamono's saving its energy for something else," she sighed.

A dozen blades swooped towards the teens, who barely leapt out of the way.

"Looks like Yokkyuu came up with an original attack," she added, rolling to her feet and glancing about at the sky. The blades continued circling as the Mamono waited for an opening.

"Nope," Ranma answered, "it's based on the sword Kuno backstabbed me with. It is more clever than those last two tries." He spun to the side as a pair of blades razored by, drawing thin lines of blood across his bare chest.

"Ranchan!"

"It's just a scratch," he insisted.

"I wish I had my weapons," she called, spinning to avoid a couple more blades.

"I wish I had my pants," he replied. "How come we always end up naked in these bits?" He clapped his hand together, trapping a spinning blade between them. "First time I wished I knew the Breaking Point."

"Less talk, Ranchan." She ducked, feeling the blade whistle past the top of her head, close enough she probably would have lost a half-inch of hair ribbon if she'd been wearing anything. "We need a plan."

"You block 'em with magic."

"Magic?"

"Yeah, just do whatever you did to keep that fake storm drain from crushing us."

"How did I...?" She held up her left hand, and stared at the Yoma ring. "Got it, Ranchan, but it's gonna take time for my chant." She spun again and ducked, avoiding another flying blade.

"No problem," he called, jumping in front of her and using the trapped weapon to deflect another, then tossing the blade down to embed it in the ground. A nimbus of golden chi formed around each of Ranma's hands and he released the energy with a shout, striking several blades with each blast, knocking them from the empty gray sky.

"Ucchan?"

"Oh, yeah," she blushed, tearing her eyes from his naked form and began the chant. "I hold no enmity against those coerced into evil..."

He grabbed the blade he'd pinned in the earth and flung it past her, where it collided with another, both weapons spinning wildly to crash into the ground.

"...but to those vile beings who toy with the hearts and souls of men," she continued. "Since the time of Ancient Gods, we have been your destroyers!"

Ranma leapt past her, grabbing another blade from the air.

"Now, the 108th generation Devil Hunter, Ukyou, is here!" She spun through the air and landed, her soulblade gripped in her hands. "At least I know how this works," she muttered.

"Hey, Ucchan, how come you still ain't got no clothes on?"

"Um." Only the metallic wrist and ankle bands had appeared. "Never mind that, which way do we go?" she called.

"The hardest way," he called back. "The way the Mamono doesn't want us to go. I think I got us a path cleared."

The fallen blades, whether struck by chi or each other, spiraled back into the air. Both teens cursed in unison and charged.

oooooooooooooooooo

Mousse stood over Lin-Lin's body a second time. Again the flask appeared in his hands.

"The substitution is freely offered."

He unstoppered the flask and it shattered in his hand.

"Fool," Kodachi cursed and finally collapsed.

He didn't know if the girl's statement was meant for herself or for him, but the Sapphire Essence Resurrection Elixir had been held directly above Ran-Ran and now it covered her. Nothing happened and he wasn't sure if he was relieved or sorry.

And then Lin-Lin's form began glowing with a faint blue pearlescent glow. Her body rose into the air and strange dark mists began swirling around her.

Mousse found his voice. "I call for the spirit of Shan Pu of the Nyuchezu tribe of the Bayankala Mountains of the Middle Kingdom."

The light continued growing and the mists continued to swirl around the girl. His part in the ritual was over, except for the final price, so he moved to Kodachi's side and dropped to a sitting position. He cradled her head in his lap and softly brushed the girl's hair away from her face as he waited for the guardians of the underworld to carry away his spirit instead of Shampoo's.

oooooooooooooooooo

"Gosunkugi?"

He blinked, realizing he'd almost fallen asleep. At least the others had something to do, maintaining Ranma's link to the real world.

"Gosunkugi?" Kurumi's voice was stronger, more insistent. "I think Shampoo fainted."

"Keep focusing on Ranma and Ukyou," he replied. "I'll wake her up."

The Chinese girl lay still and unmoving, and suddenly Gosunkugi felt very, very cold. He touched her, but she didn't react. He called her name and shook her shoulder gently. Her head lolled like a rag doll and her eyes were blank and empty.

He spun towards the others. "Something's wrong. Azusa, you need to use your powers. The rest of you stay focused."

That was much more easily said than done. The balance was disrupted, and the other three truly felt the drain of being Ranma's soul anchors for the first time.

oooooooooooooooooo

"Sorry, Ranchan, I wish I knew how to do whatever I did in the storm drain to protect us." Both of them were bleeding, but none of the wounds were serious. Not yet.

"That's okay, at least your magic battle spatula can actually break these things." His attacks had only slowed the spinning blades.

She dropped suddenly to her knees. "Something's wrong, Ranchan. I can't sense the way out anymore. No, it's still there, but it's flickering, fading."

He turned towards her. "Close your eyes and focus, Ucchan. I'll take care of with the blades."

They chose that moment to dive, a dozen blades visible over his shoulder, diving for his unprotected back. "Ranchan!" She was on her feet again, leaping straight over him even as he turned. He heard a pair of meaty thunks, but he screamed louder than she did.

oooooooooooooooooo

"I don't understand. I just don't understand." Azusa turned to Gosunkugi.

"What don't you understand," the boy replied. "Shampoo...she...she's gone...her spirit is gone," the girl babbled.

"Was she pulled in with Ranma and Ukyou?" Strain showed on Natsume's face and sweat beaded on her forehead. "Azusa, it's not easy with only three of us maintaining the link, so answer my question."

"She's gone," the other girl repeated. "She's not with them. She's just gone."

Konatsu leaped across the circle and grabbed Shampoo's limp body. He turned with tear-filled eyes. "Please," he begged. "I'll go on another date with you, just bring Shampoo back."

"I...I don't know how." Azusa was crying, too.

All eyes turned to Gosunkugi. "There's nothing in the notes. I don't know why this is happening. It shouldn't be happening. It doesn't make any sense!"

oooooooooooooooooo

A pair of teens lay on a barren shore near a bloody sea. He wore an ordinary school uniform. She wore a skintight crimson bodysuit, but one eye and one arm were swathed in bandages.

"I feel sick," the girl whispered.

"Don't move, Ucchan. Oh Kami, how come you're still hurt? The injuries always went away when the Mamono dropped us into another world."

"I don't know." She coughed faintly "But the link, the way out of here, it's still there, but it's growing weaker. If you hurry, I think you can still make it out."

"And leave you behind?" His hand clenched into fists, longing for something tangible to destroy. "I already made that mistake when I was six, but I ain't ever gonna do it again."

"Please," she begged. "I'll be okay, as long as I know you're safe."

He shook his head and spoke softly. "I can't do that, Ucchan. I promised I'd always take care of you. I keep my promises."

"I'll let you break that promise." But she knew his answer before he spoke.

oooooooooooooooooo

Why is it raining indoors?

Kodachi opened her eyes and realized it was Mousse's tears falling on her cheek.

"Fool." She still didn't explain if she meant the Chinese boy or herself or both.

"I...I'm still alive," he stammered.

"Yes, I had noticed that." Kodachi used the tone she used in addressing her brother Tatewaki, the same tone most people used when addressing a five-year-old. The girl tried to sit up, but she was still too weak.

"I failed. Shampoo is still dead," the boy moaned.

"Fool." This time the word came from Lin-Lin's mouth. "Fool, I was never dead in the first place."

"Shampoo?"

"If Ranma and Ukyou die because I'm not there..." The girl tried to stand, but she wasn't used to Lin-Lin's smaller body, and weeks in the hospital bed hadn't helped the muscle tone. Neither she nor her new body were used to standing or walking at all any more.

"What do you mean Ranma and Ukyou might die?" Kodachi had struggled to her hands and knees, but drugged nerves and muscles still refused to obey her. "They can't die. I owe them a debt."

"Stupid Gymnast Girl can't even stand."

"You are one to talk," Kodachi declared haughtily.

"I can still crawl faster than you," Shampoo retorted.

The bickering was interrupted by the thunder of huge quantities of wood and metal striking the floor. The girls turned to see Mousse standing next to a gigantic pile of discarded weapons. Before either could protest, he scooped up both of them.

"Where?" was all he said.

oooooooooooooooooo

"Yokkyuu didn't even bother clouding our minds, Ranchan. I think that means it's getting weaker."

"Just lie still," he said. The white of her bandages was already discolored by red.

"This is a dead world," she continued, "the end of everything. We started in the beginning in that garden place like the first two people in that gaijin story. Now we're the last two people, but that's okay, because even if this world is fake, you're real and you're with me. That's all I really wanted."

She laughed softly. "I can feel the connection fading. One is gone, one has released the link, and the other two are almost exhausted. Please, give me one last kiss and then escape. You did everything you could."

He took her hand and looked into her eyes. "No, you're coming with me. You gave me the strength to escape Ikari and destroy Shinrou and...and I need you to be with me. I don't wanna be alone anymore, Ucchan."

He took a deep breath and the ghost of smile crossed his face. "I just figured what we are, Ucchan. Great timing, huh?" He tried to laugh, but choked it back before he began sobbing. "We're friends, but we ain't just friends. We're fiancées, but I got so many of those."

"Too many," she whispered, though she smiled. A coughing fit wracked her body, and she tasted blood in her mouth. "The word...the word is lovers."

"It's a good word," he replied, not bothering to brush away tears, "but it ain't the word I'm thinking of. I saw it every day in that restaurant sign, but it took a stupid Mamono and a world that ain't real to show me. That world with the police mechs, where it was raining. The couple there - they knew each other, trusted each other, worked together to be more than either one of 'em woulda been by themselves. They're partners, and so are we. We're in this together and we're staying together, no matter what comes."

She smiled.

Yokkyuu dissolved its own illusion again and they plunged into the inferno. The time for subtlety was past; this would be the final battle, continued until one side exhausted all energy and faded into nothingness. And they were only human.

oooooooooooooooooo

"Will you idiots just shut up," Natsume hissed. Her face had gone pale and she was struggling to stay conscious. "Kurumi and I need help if we're going to save my brother and his fiancée."

The others, those who still could, began babbling apologies. She told them to shut up again and began barking orders. "You, Ninja Boy, get back to where you belong. Now. Azusa or whatever your name is, get ready to start that stupid chant."

"But if she starts the chant too soon, their souls won't be close enough to escape before she finishes," Gosunkugi protested.

"I said shut up," the older girl snapped. "We have to do this now, before my sister and I and Ninja Boy pass out."

oooooooooooooooooo

"You okay?" he asked through gritted teeth. He held her close, but he couldn't shield her from this.

"No," she hissed. "This is fake...it's not real...but it hurts...so much."

They were falling through a pool of liquid flame, through a heat and fire that should have consumed eyesockets, incinerated flesh, and melted bone; yet the endless agony wouldn't end, wouldn't even fade. Ukyou's grip on him tightened, feeling like it was about to break ribs. He heard her whimper, but she didn't cry out.

"Ranchan, one of the links is back. Oh."

"What wrong, Ucchan?" He almost laughed at his own words. What wasn't wrong?

"One of them fainted," she replied, "and I think another's about to."

"So it's time to quit falling and start to fly."

"We can't," she insisted.

"Sure we can. We've been letting this stupid Mamono make up the rules, letting it decide how things are gonna work. Well, screw it and screw its stupid lies. We're gonna live in a world we make and we're gonna make the rules."

oooooooooooooooooo

"I'm sorry, Shampoo. I'm sorry, Ukyou, Ranma. I'm too weak to save you."

"Konatsu, quit whining." Natsume was still giving orders. "Gosunkugi, go see if you can wake my sister up. Azusa, don't stop chanting." She shook her head, trying to clear away a feeling of lightheadedness. "I didn't spend ten years looking for a family, just to lose it. My name is Natsume *Saotome* and we Saotomes are too stubborn to quit."

But they weren't indestructible and soon she slumped unconscious on the floor, joining her sister.

oooooooooooooooooo

"Another one fainted, Ranchan, and the last feels even farther away."

He heard the pain in her voice and wished he could wipe it away.

"Soul of Ice," he whispered.

"What?"

"Remember the Hiryu Shouten Ha, Ucchan? Use the hot chi of the enemy's attack and the cold chi of the Heart of Ice to form the whirlwind. Forget the pain, forget the fear and the anger and the sorrow. Find an inner peace, a calmness, a stillness. You're, no, we're the center of the whirlwind, the eye of the storm, and *we* are in control."

He felt the firestorm begin to spin around them even as ice began to crystallize, encasing and protecting them from Yokkyuu's searing flames.

oooooooooooooooooo

"I can't...not by myself..." Konatsu was the only link still conscious and that wouldn't last long. Gosunkugi couldn't help; his very essence was antimagical. Azusa had other duties. Konatsu's eyelids were lead; he couldn't even feel his body.

I must be seeing things.

And then it was gone, a brief flash of blue, a fading image of Ukyou and Ranma in each other's arms. Konatsu's vision faded to gray and then to black.

oooooooooooooooooo

Mousse staggered through the door and dropped Shampoo and Kodachi. Shampoo's original body lay limply on the far side of the circle. Natsume, Kurumi, and Konatsu lay at their stations, faithful until unconsciousness claimed them. Gosunkugi slumped against the wall, looking paler than ever.

"I...we lost the links." Azusa didn't know what to say.

"She's right," the skinny boy stated. "It's too late. They're gone."

"No." Shampoo spoke using Lin-Lin's body.

"They're gone," Gosunkugi insisted. The Chinese girl crawled forward, taking a place next to Konatsu's unconscious form, then glared at Azusa. "Start chanting."

Azusa began, haltingly at first, and then regaining the rhythm of the words.

"What can I do?" Kodachi asked.

"Sit down," Shampoo replied. "Focus on Ranma and Ukyou. Will them to return."

Kodachi staggered forward on legs that still didn't work properly and took her place next to Natsume. Mousse already sat next to Kurumi's unconscious form.

"I'd still be trapped as a duck if Ranma hadn't saved me," the Chinese boy explained.

"What?" No one had mentioned anything like it to Kodachi.

"No talking," Shampoo insisted. "Focus."

oooooooooooooooooo

"They're back, Ranchan. I sense three, but they're already tired, they won't last long enough for us to..."

"They don't have to," he replied. "They just have to last long enough to show us which way out is."

Flames continued swirling around the ever-growing cylinder of ice. The couple encased inside smiled. Two arms raised simultaneously, the ice popping, cracking, and reforming to match the gesture. Two voices shouted in unison.

"Kiitsu Rei Hiryu Shouten Ha!"

The United Souls Flying Dragon Ascension Wave exploded upwards with unimagined force. They sensed more than felt the Mamono screaming as a wave of utter cold engulfed it, shredding away its inhuman mocking smile.

oooooooooooooooooo

Ranma felt the hardwood floor beneath him and sat up, then looked at Ukyou. "Are you alright?"

She opened her eyes and looked up at him. "I'm thirsty, and kinda tired. Hey, who painted all this stuff on the floor of my restaurant and why are all these people sleeping on the floor?" She sighed. "I guess anything this strange has to be real."

oooooooooooooooooo


End file.
